Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Having visited Midleton following the flooding from Storm Babet, I have seen at first hand the devastating impact flooding has for home owners, businesses and the wider community.

The catchment flood risk assessment and management, CFRAM, programme provided the Government with the evidence to launch a national and proactive programme of 120 additional and new flood relief schemes in 2018. While Midleton was part of this programme, major flooding in December 2015 and again in January 2016 were the catalysts to commence work for the design of a flood relief scheme for Midleton ahead of the conclusion of the CFRAM programme. Cork County Council is leading the design of the scheme and in 2017 appointed engineering and environmental consultants. Designing any flood relief scheme is complex and requires data on the flood sources and their associated risks. Today, some 100 schemes are at design and construction stages.

Midleton has proven to be a more complex scheme. It has flood risks from four sources, namely, fluvial, tidal, groundwater and pluvial. In 2017, data did not exist on all sources and monitoring was required to allow the flooding mechanism to be fully understood. The data gathering and changing regulatory requirements, including environmental assessments, increased the scale and scope of the design project. Throughout this time, three public participation days were held, in 2017, 2020 and 2022. As well as engaging with the local community on the scheme’s progress, these served to gather useful information and assess their views on the emerging option and, more recently, the preferred option for the Midleton flood relief scheme. The outcome also increased the scope of the analysis and assessments required.

The preferred scheme has now been identified, with a total project budget of €50 million, three times that estimated in 2017. This highlights the scale of the project's increase in scope. It also highlights that we have designed a scheme that is robust and supported by strong evidence. It has the support of the community and is future proofed and adaptable to climate change scenarios. The preferred option protects 580 properties against the one in 100 year flood fluvial event, can give back flood insurance to the town and stands up to scrutiny and-or challenge.

Having invested eight years in arriving at a preferred scheme, an assessment following Storm Babet is under way, in order that we know we have a scheme that can meet the standard of protection required by the insurance industry. The next major step is to seek planning consent. Work has already begun on the environmental surveys to allow us to start the planning consent process early this year.

After Storm Babet, the Minister of State, Deputy O’Donovan, and his officials met with the chief executive and senior officials from Cork County Council and the scheme’s consultants to discuss how the Midleton scheme can be delivered as quickly as possible. While the planning stage for this project is due to commence shortly, Cork County Council is assessing Storm Babet to identify the possibility of advancing any viable interim and targeted works for the town. Identification and ongoing roll-out of interim measures has also been progressed, including the removal of trees in channel at Moore’s Bridge and installation of a water level gauge at Tir Cluain bridge, with additional gauges to be installed at Lidl bridge and the pedestrian bridge in People’s Park in January 2024.

East Cork bore some of the worst impacts from this flooding. In Midleton, the Owenacurra river rose at an unprecedented rate and broke its banks at two locations, causing significant flood damage to the town, with more than 100 properties flooded. At its peak, the main street in Midleton saw floodwaters in excess of 1 m depth, requiring the evacuation of dwellings and commercial properties. People displaced by the floodwaters were given shelter.

The OPW and local authorities do not have the powers to expedite the schemes arising from the damage caused by flooding events. The delivery of all schemes must meet all regulatory and planning requirements. Consideration is being given to the preferred planning route that can deliver this scheme as quickly as possible.

In terms of the wider flood risk management scheme, there is a prioritised approach to deliver schemes where work is complete or under way. Under the OPW minor flood mitigation works and coastal protection scheme, applications by local authorities for localised flood mitigation measures are considered for projects that are estimated at a variety of costs, as was outlined to the Deputy previously by the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan.

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