Where a utility such as a water, Electicity, telephone etc wish to run cables across land owned by another typically they will negotiate a "wayleave" agreement in which the landowner allows the utility lay the cable/pipe. The utility will agree to restore the trench and the landowner will agree to allow the utility to maintain the cable/pipe in the event of breaks/busts etc.
Such agreements are registered with land registry and stay with the land in the event of it being sold on.
Undivided commonage is common in bogs and mountainous areas in the west of ireland. Scores of individuals will have rights to graze animals on the land.
This can pose big problems for a water authority/group scheme which desires to provide drinking water to the community. They have to deal with scores of owners some of whom do not have clear title to the commonage.
In these cases rather than deal with scores of commonage owners / reputed commonage owners the water authority will commence a compulory acquistion (of wayleave) process. Not to be confused with compulsory acquision of the land itself! Its only the right to lay the pipes and maintain in the event of a break.
Personally I cant see why such owners of commonage would object to a water main going though the commonage but some can and do object.
Does this mean that they are buying the land?
No
or buying a right of way?
No , a right of way is not the same as a wayleave.
The land runs along side a road
Yes, landowners often own to the centre line of the road.
Which there has been a dispute about
what was the nature of the dispute? It is fairly common for community based group water schemes to lay pipes along rural roads without the express permission of the landowners. It only becomes an issue when the group apply the council to be taken over.
permission was sought from the shareholders to install it.
"Shareholders" is not a word that is generally used in this context.