Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Timmins for giving me the opportunity to address this matter. I know he has taken a particular interest in the issue over many years.

A flood relief scheme for the town of Arklow is being advanced by Arklow Town Council in partnership with the Office of Public Works and my Department, which is providing the funding. The project is being overseen by a steering group which comprises representatives of Arklow Town Council, the council's consultants and the OPW. The scheme is moving through all the required stages of design and development and has progressed to a stage where a feasibility report is nearing finalisation following detailed consultations between Arklow Town Council, the council's engineering consultants and the OPW.

As the Deputy might be aware, I met with a delegation from Arklow Town Council in regard to the proposed scheme in November 2013 and I indicated at that meeting that there is an absolute commitment on all sides to progress and complete a flood relief scheme for Arklow to ensure that the people and businesses of the town are protected from the terrible flooding that devastated the town in previous years. I want to restate that commitment to the House and to Deputy Timmins again today and to confirm that, on the basis that a viable, cost beneficial scheme is proposed to the OPW, then funding for this will be made available as required. The Arklow scheme is provided for in the OPW's multi-annual capital expenditure profiles.

As the Deputy said, the Arklow scheme has been a long time in preparation and I can understand the local frustration over the length of time it has taken to get to a point of construction. It is, however, in the nature of flood defence schemes which involve complex civil engineering works within a river environment in an urban setting that the amount of planning and preparation required is necessarily very detailed and takes a long time to complete. I might mention in this context, however, that the OPW provided funding to Wicklow County Council in 2012 under the minor flood mitigation works scheme to carry out interim flood relief works in Arklow. These works, comprising the construction of a new flood protection wall, have been completed and offer protection to properties and businesses in the Riverwalk-town centre area of the town.

As I mentioned earlier, a feasibility study to identify possible flood mitigation measures for Arklow town in nearing completion. This Study was commissioned by Arklow Town Council but funded by the OPW. In addition, environmental consultants were appointed by the OPW to carry out an environmental impact statement and to work in tandem with the engineering consultants in identifying environmentally acceptable measures.

It was also necessary to commission separate surveys of the quay walls and an assessment report on Arklow Bridge when it became evident that a number of potential flood alleviation measures might impact on the bridge. All of these assessments have now been brought together in a draft final feasibility report on the scheme by Arklow Town Council's consultants. The purpose of the report is to identify and assess using technical, environmental and economic criteria the viability of a range of flood relief measures for Arklow. Based on this assessment, the report is to identify and recommend a preferred flood relief scheme and to prepare an outline design of the recommended scheme.

The OPW has been engaged over the past year or two in extensive consultation and discussions with our colleagues in Arklow Town Council and the consultants. The latest draft of the feasibility report was submitted by Arklow Town Council to the OPW in late 2013. The report has been examined in detail within the OPW and the OPW has very recently written to Arklow Town Council seeking clarification on a number of mainly technical issues. I am confident that any remaining issues can be resolved without undue delay and that Arklow Town Council will be in a position to finalise the feasibility report for the scheme shortly. When the report is finalised, and provided the preferred scheme is economically and environmentally viable, the OPW and Arklow Town Council, in conjunction with Wicklow County Council, will decide on the most effective means of progressing the project through the next stages of detailed design, planning and statutory consents and procurement of a works contractor. Pending that, it is not possible to give a definite date or timescale. However, I assure the Deputy that the OPW will work constructively with the local authority to ensure the scheme is progressed as quickly as possible.

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