Mr. John Hegarty:

The tidal barrier would work by separating a high tidal surge from the fluvial issue. It also allows for any amount of fluvial water coming from upstream to be stored behind the barrier when it is closed. It manages fluvial flood by separating it from the tidal flood. We are also proposing that the current dams be optimised. There are a few different ways in which that can be dealt with. We are talking about a tidal barrier which would protect roads, the tunnel and train lines. It would go right down to Little Island, which would mean the Docklands, Mahon, Blackrock and all of those areas of the city would be protected. These are hugely populated areas so we are talking about protecting a lot more people. I do not have the exact figures for that. Demountable barriers in the city might have the result of preventing people from getting to other parts of the city. Our approach would meant that people in that area of the city would be allowed to travel unhindered in the event of a flood. That would mean getting to schools, to hospitals, to work and to the city centre. Our map on page 8 shows the extent of the wall's protection as opposed to the extent of the barrier's protection.

There is an interesting fact about the docklands. It is difficult to get development going at the moment because developers cannot make money out of different schemes and the conditions of the docklands in Cork are such that they are below water level in many areas. It is, therefore, difficult to develop in the docklands, without it being protected from flooding. In the docklands at the moment, only retail development is allowed at ground floor level because that is allowed in an area which might flood. Therefore, the docklands can only on ground floor level really ever develop as something that is in massive competition with our indigenous business in the city centre.