Mr. John Sydenham:

Regarding the word "walls", if one looks at the relative height increases from the existing walls to those proposed, one will see they are modest, and we are reinstating a number of railings of architectural and aesthetic significance. I now refer the committee to figure 3.

Figure 3 shows part of the city at Bachelor's Quay. It shows both the existing situation and the proposed situation, and note that there is no substantial increase in the relative heights. Equally, we are introducing a footpath which will allow greater amenity, greater access to the river and greater visual appreciation. Our interventions are modest. Figure 4 is a cross section of that area. It shows both the existing cross section and the proposed cross section. One of the key elements in what is proposed in the solution is reinforcing the quay walls. In the 2009 flood, parts of the wall in Grenville Place, which is adjacent to the Bachelor's Quay area, collapsed into the river. The walls must be strengthened. There is significant structural damage on many of the quay walls. I draw the members' attention to the cross section which shows that the relative height gain in terms of its visual impact is marginal. We are raising the road area, introducing a footpath and, most importantly, as seen in the shaded green section, we will reuse the existing stone cladding. That is hugely important in preserving the original materials where feasible and minimising the visual impact while at the same time reinforcing the quay wall and providing the level of protection required.

Over three quarters of the quay walls will have an element of open railing below guarding height, as shown in figure 2. Over 1 km of newriver side walkways will be provided by the scheme, which will enhance connectivity with the river and greater public amenity. An experienced urban public realm landscape architect is part of the detailed design team, whose remit is to ensure that the defences are integrated unobtrusively into enhanced public spaces. Existing unattractive concrete upstands and railings will be replaced with new architecturally designed railings. That can also be seen in figure 2. Taking account of feedback received at exhibition stage, the proposed scheme is being changed on quays which have original historic railings. At Sullivan’s Quay and North Mall, demountable barriers are proposed so that existing railings can be retained in their current form, thus ensuring that there is no heritage impact. I refer the members to figure 5. The green railings are on the opposite side of the quay which we showed earlier on Bachelor's Quay. We propose to retain those railings while having demountable barriers which will protect the existing trees and the railings. The level of impact on that area is minimised. We are working closely with the local authority to ensure that is done to maximum effect.

I will summarise the main elements of the scheme. I have discussed the flood defences. That is integrated with a flood forecasting system using forecast rainfall measures, enhanced operation of hydroelectric dam management during flood events, washlands upstream of the city, flow control on the south channel and a variety of ancillary works. The scheme has the support of the vast majority of the elected representatives of both local authorities, Cork City Council and Cork County Council. Key stakeholders such as the chamber of commerce and the Cork Business Association, which together represent between 900 and 1,200 businesses, are also fully supportive of the scheme. The Irish National Flood Forum supports the scheme. The OPW is of the firm view that the scheme has the support of the majority of residents and property owners in Cork city who wish to see a scheme implemented as quickly as possible to protect them from the devastating floods which have been experienced by the city.

Save Cork City has proposed an alternative solution which tries to solve Cork’s flooding problem by dealing independently with the fluvial or river and tidal problems. It has proposed a tidal barrier at Little Island, which would onlyaddress the tidal flooding problems. This barrier is not considered viable for a variety of reasons, including impacting negatively on highly sensitive EU designated environmental sites in Cork Harbour. The location proposed by Save Cork City has limited ability to cope with the likely future impacts of climate change. Save Cork City recently commissioned HR Wallingford to prepare a cost estimate report on its proposal. The report is, therefore, only a high level cost estimate of the Save Cork City proposal. The report notes that "further study will be needed to develop the design for a barrier and refine the cost estimate".

In response to public interest at exhibition stage, the OPW instructed its consultants to examine further the costs and issues around the provision of a tidal barrier at a number of locations around Cork Harbour, including that proposed by Save Cork City. In preparing this study, Arup has drawn on the expertise of its relevant international experts, undertaken detailed harbour modelling and liaised with key stakeholders such as the Port of Cork Company. This study includes a detailed analysis of barrier costs for the scale of barrier likely to be required as well as analysing the cost estimate for the Save Cork City proposal. This is currently being finalised. We believe that the HR Wallingford cost estimate is an underestimate of the true cost of a tidal barrier.

In terms of upstream measures to address river flooding, Save Cork City has advocated natural flood management and-or improved use of the dams. However, all scientific evidence confirms that natural flood management measures cannot significantly reduce peak flows in large flood events in large catchments. Work undertaken by OPW’s consultants has confirmed this is the case in Cork. It is noteworthy that the HR Wallingford report arrived at a similar conclusion.

The OPW scheme incorporates optimised use of the dams to reduce peak flows. In developing the scheme, new operational rules have been developed in close collaboration with the ESB, the owner of the dams, making use of state-of-the-art modelling techniques which account for the real world constraints and ensure that the rules are robust and provide a reliable solution. The storage capacity benefits of the dams are optimised in the scheme in line with operational rules, and some low level defences will still be required.

With regard to the integrated approach that has been adopted on this scheme, Cork City Council will shortly launch a planning application under Part VIII of the Planning Acts for Morrison's Island public realm and flood defence scheme, the flood defence element of which is the first phase of the Cork city flood relief project. The Morrison's Island project is representative of the approach and standard which the wider scheme will deliver. With high quality visual aids supporting the application, the public will be able to see clearly the unobtrusive and enhanced quaysides that will be created. Figure 6 gives an indication of the treatment of Morrison's Island. It shows the existing situation and what is proposed. It is important to stress that this is an evolving development and we will be consulting widely during the Part VIII consultation process on how this can be optimised to the best effect for the benefit of the city.

In conclusion, the OPW is fully satisfied that the planning, development and design process for the proposed Cork city flood relief scheme has been rigorous and of the highest professional standard. We have considered all the potential alternatives and have determined that the onlytechnically viable and cost beneficial solution is the scheme as exhibited. This integrated and holistic scheme will substantially free the people of Cork from the worry and stress of living with flood risk and it will remove barriers to future private investment and help to reinvigorate the city centre. The OPW and Cork City Council would be concerned about further delays to this project amid continued exposure of Cork city residents and businesses to flood risk. The Commissioners of Public Works intend to submit the scheme to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform for approval in the shortest timeframe possible.

I thank the Chairman and members of the committee for their attention.