Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Timmins for raising the matter and providing me with an opportunity to update the House on the status of plans for the Arklow flood relief scheme.

A flood relief scheme for the town of Arklow is being advanced by Wicklow County Council in partnership with the Office of Public Works, OPW, which is providing the funding. The project is being overseen by a steering group which comprises representatives of Wicklow County Council, the council's engineering consultants, environmental consultants and the OPW. The scheme is moving through the required stages of design and development and has progressed to a stage where a feasibility report is nearing finalisation following detailed consultations between Wicklow County Council, the consultants involved and the OPW. 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 flooding that devastated the town in previous years. I confirm that on the basis that a viable, cost beneficial and environmentally acceptable scheme is proposed to the OPW, funding will be made available as required. The Arklow scheme is provided for in the OPW's multi-annual capital expenditure profiles. In fact, the Arklow scheme is specifically listed in the capital plan published by my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, this week.

I understand the frustration of communities over how long it takes to bring major flood relief schemes such as that for Arklow to the point of commencement of construction. However, it is 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. I note in this context, however, that my office 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 comprised the construction of a new flood protection wall and have now been completed to offer protection to properties and businesses in the river walk and town centre area of the town.

As I mentioned earlier, a feasibility study to identify possible flood mitigation measures for Arklow Town is nearing completion. The study was commissioned initially by Arklow Town Council and is being progressed by Wicklow County Council with funding provided by the Office of Public Works. 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 to identify 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 will be brought together in a draft final feasibility report which I expect to receive shortly.

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The purpose of the report is to identify and assess using technical, environmental and economic criteria the viability of a range of possible flood relief measures for Arklow. Based on this assessment, the report is to identify and recommend a preferred flood relief scheme and set out an outline design of the recommended scheme.

The OPW has been engaged in extensive consultation and discussions with Wicklow County Council and its consultants in relation to technical aspects of the proposals for the scheme and also on the methodology employed in early drafts of the feasibility report with regard to cost-benefit assessment. To enable additional flood relief options to be considered, further hydraulic modelling was also carried out this year and a workshop involving the relevant personnel will be held in the next month to consider the various options from a multi-criteria perspective in terms of the study objectives - technical, economic, social and environmental. I am confident that any remaining issues can be resolved without undue delay and that Wicklow County Council will be in a position to provide the final draft feasibility report for the scheme shortly. When the final draft is produced and provided that the preferred scheme is economically and environmentally viable, it is proposed to hold a second public information day, PID, in Arklow to afford the public an opportunity to view the proposed scheme works and to invite their comments and feedback in relation to these proposals. The comments received at the PID will inform the progress of the scheme. It is envisaged that this PID will be held early in 2016.

It has been agreed that once an environmentally and economically viable scheme has been identified, the works will be carried out under Wicklow County Council's legislative powers with funding provided by the OPW. This will involve the council acting as the contracting authority to progress the project through the next stages of planning and statutory consents, detailed design and procurement of a works contractor. Pending this, it is not possible to give a definite timescale for the implementation of the scheme. However, I assure the Deputy that the OPW will work constructively with the local authority to ensure that the scheme is progressed as quickly as possible.

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