Well water vs Irish water

Hi all.

I'm in the process of obtain planning permission to extend a cottage.

Irish water have issued my Co co with a letter which I viewed on my planning file, saying that if I am opting for a public water supply, I must enter into an agreement with them BEFORE commencing any works/building, is that normal procedure? Can I not proceed with build of the extension while I wait for connection?

There is a huge wait with Irish water at the moment, 16 weeks for stage one of the connection process.

Secondly, has anyone gone through planning process and been allowed to use their own well as opposed to public water supply? I feel real resistance from council to allow me to use the well I have on site, which I can't understand. When I phoned them for advice about it, they said " we wouldn't be able to say whether a well water connection would be permitted or not".

So confused.

Any advice/experience welcomed.