Press release
Mayor O’Flynn and Minister O’Donovan welcome the first stage of development of the Ballinhassig Village Flood Relief Scheme
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
The Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Frank O’Flynn has welcomed the signing of a contract with Malachy Walsh and Partners marking the first stage of the development of a Flood Relief Scheme which will protect eight residential properties located close to Ballinhassig Village.
The successful consultant was identified following an extensive tender process. Cork County Council will manage the delivery of the Flood Relief Scheme in partnership with the Office of Public Works (OPW) who is funding the scheme.
The properties for which flood mitigation measures will be progressed under the scheme suffered significant flooding from the Owenabue River on several occasions most recently during Storm Babet in October this year.
The Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Frank O’Flynn, highlighted how:
“The importance of providing flood mitigation measures to communities vulnerable to flooding could not be over emphasised. The experience in Cork County during the extreme weather conditions brought by Storm Babet highlighted the devastation suffered by property owners in flood risk areas including the Ballinhassig residents. On behalf of Cork County Council, I would like to thank the OPW for their ongoing commitment, funding, and support for the delivery of this vital flood relief infrastructure.“
Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW), Patrick O’Donovan, stated:
“I am delighted to welcome the appointment of Malachy Walsh and Partners as Consultants to the Ballinhassig Flood Relief Scheme. The development of this scheme will be effective in delivering a flood relief scheme to protect 8 properties at risk of flooding in the village of Ballinhassig. My office and Cork County Council will continue to work together with Malachy Walsh and Partners to progress this scheme. As with all OPW flood relief projects, this scheme, when constructed, will be adaptable to continue to protect against today’s flood risk and the growing risk from climate change into the future.”
Flood relief schemes are implemented in five stages. They are large, complex, multiannual projects that face a variety of issues and challenges, many of which are neither predictable nor within the OPW’s control. These can include issues relating to ground conditions, timelines for consultations and planning decisions or a limited capacity within the engineering consultancy market. These challenges impact the timeline for flood relief schemes’ delivery, which can take up to ten years to design, develop and construct.
The Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme is the most in depth study ever undertaken on flood risk in Ireland. Completed in 2018, the programme studied flood risk for two-thirds of the population against their risk of flooding from rivers and the sea.
This work underpins the OPW’s approach to designing and constructing flood relief schemes for communities most at-risk and is supported by €1.3 billion through the National Development Plan 2021–2030 (NDP).
To date, 54 schemes have been completed, at a cost of some €500 million. Over 12,000 properties are protected by these schemes providing an economic benefit estimated to be in the region of €1.9 billion.
Appendix A provides details of the 11 schemes that have reached substantial completion since the CFRAM launch in 2018.
Since 2018, the number of flood relief schemes at the design, planning, and construction stage has trebled to some 100 flood relief schemes. This is a result of the NDP investment that has enabled the OPW, in partnership with the local authorities, to progress this work.
Appendix B lists the schemes that are currently in construction.
This means that the government has completed or work is currently underway to protect 80% of properties at risk, based on the CFRAM Programme.
In addition to progressing flood relief schemes, the OPW has invested €63 million across some 900 unique local flood relief projects that protect some 7,800 properties through the Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme.
At all times, the OPW strives to expedite and progress capital flood relief works with the minimum delay within the resources available to it.
A full list of schemes and further information is available on the floodinfo.ie website. All major schemes progressed since 2018 also have individual websites. These provide relevant scheme information including timelines and budgets to the public.