Mr. Cian ? D?naill:

The tree clearance would be part of the normal catchment-wide NIS. Not all the tree clearance works were done by the OPW on that channel. The Ballymackeogh scheme is rather unique in Ireland in that the OPW has been involved in that scheme since the mid-1990s. While the flood relief scheme was done under the 1995 amendment to the Arterial Drainage Act 1945, it was taking over the drainage district which was originally under an 1863 Act. That river system has been embanked for well over 150 years. That brings its own problems in terms of river morphology and so on. It is a concern to the OPW that we are trying to let more trees grow, not rewilding as such but we do not want the place to be denuded of trees either. However, there is a risk when something falls and pulls the embankment. That is what happened in this location. There is a risk to property in that scheme. That is not an arterial drainage scheme but a flood relief scheme.