Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. I welcomed the report published in July on the lower Lee-Cork city flood relief scheme, which is long overdue. The report deals with the recent history of flooding in Cork city. In 1986 the Macroom, Ballincollig, Blarney and Cork city areas were badly hit. In November 2000 the same happened, as it did two years later. In October 2004 there was tidal flooding, which was different in terms of high rainfall volumes. Flooding also occurred in December 2006, November 2009, June 2012 and March 2013. Major damage was caused to properties on each occasion.

The most serious flooding in Cork city occured in November 2009, with attendant costs. My home place is one mile west of the Inniscarra hydro-electric dam. For the first time in 50 years since the dam was built, the road that divided my old house from the lake was flooded. It was a clear indication that water levels behind the dam must have been close to spilling over the dam wall if the flood gates were not open. That is how serious the position was. Water was allowed to build up in the previous few weeks and this was followed by heavy rainfall in November. Huge damage was caused as a result. UCC had built a brand new building to house its computer equipment which was located in the basement which was badly damaged. The paintings stored in Glucksman Gallery were badly damaged, as was the UCC sports campus. The insurance claim was for €25 million. The Cork city flood relief programme will come in at a cost of about €50 million. I hope it will come in under that figure, but I am being optimistic. That in 2009 the cost of flood damage to one institution alone was €25 million emphasises the importance of undertaking a proper flood prevention programme.

On the same night in 2009, walls were broken alongside the Mercy Hospital in Cork when water flowed down Shear Street into the courthouse which we had just completed refurbishing at a cost of around €24 million or €25 million. The courthouse was the last place anyone expected to be flooded. Computer equipment has been placed in the basement, but it was destroyed by the water which poured in. Substantial flood damage was also caused to many business premises which had not been flooded previously and it was all due to a wall near the Mercy Hospital breaking that night owing to the force of the flood waters which caused extensive damage. Businesses had to close because the cost of reopening would have been prohibitive.

I welcome the OPW's proposals for flood prevention works in Cork city. It is a comprehensive plan which it has opened up to consultation. It is important that people make their views known on what they consider to be the best way forward. They should become involved in the consultation process. I went to the open day held in Cork city hall and the people available were able to deal with questions or concerns the public wished to raise.

There is a long history of flooding in the Blackpool area of Cork, which reflects a lack of forward thinking on building projects. For instance, screens were placed in the river in Blackpool to stop debris from going into culverts. However, when debris accumulated at the screens, the water was forced out over the riverbank, down the road and into commercial premises. How did that occur? Would it have been better to place the screens further upriver on a phased basis, rather than having one at each culvert?

I do not understand some aspects of planning. Jury's Hotel was purchased by developers and rebuilt. They provided an underground carpark and on the night of the bad flood it was untouched. They was no flooding in that development, yet less than half a mile away the brand new complex in UCC was destroyed. Someone somewhere along the line did not consider the event that happens once every 50 years.

The new St. Finbarr's multi-storey carpark was built alongside the river. A brand new road was built to take traffic from Sharman Crawford Street onto the Western Road, which is under the flood level for the river. When the wall between the road and the river was built, railings were put in in order that when the tide was high the water would flow through the railings. These are simple things, but when those undertaking engineering projects do not consider the possibility of there being higher than normal water levels, adequate precautions are not taken to prevent flooding. St. Finbarr's carpark was built in the past ten or 12 years, but one cannot get in or out of it when the road is flooded. Someone has fallen down and such failings should be avoided in future urban developments. Even with flood defences in place, engineers should take into account what would happen if flood defences were to be breached. Are there adequate precautions on floor levels in new buildings?

There is a development proposal concerning the 500 acres of land stretching from Cork City Council's offices to Páirc Uí Chaoimh. The long-term plan simply states road levels must be raised by 3 m. This form an extremely important part of the planning process in developing the area which has huge potential. The plan drafted a number of years ago referred to 6,000 residential units, educational infrastructure and commercial development. However, as the area can be subject to flooding, it is important to do the right thing in undertaking the development. Those who designed the overall master plan had the foresight to know what needed to be done to prevent major flood damage being caused and that if the one in 50 year event happened, it would be adequately catered for.

I wish the Minister of State well in bringing forward the important project for Cork city. As the State's second city, it is important that business there is protected. We have a problem in the city centre at the moment in that we have created a doughnut effect. There is very good development in Blackpool with shopping centres and offices and it is likewise in Mahon, Douglas and Wilton. The result is a doughnut effect in the city whereby everything is happening outside the centre. Part of the problem is that if one rents a premises now on Oliver Plunkett Street or nearby, one cannot get insurance for the ground floor. It is therefore extremely important to have adequate flood defences if we want to grow and develop the city centre. That is why this is so important. While Patrick Street is not affected by flooding, some 16 ground floor premises are vacant due to the overall shortfall in footfall. That creates the wrong impression about Cork and we must do everything possible to encourage businesses back into the city centre. I note that four or five premises on Patrick Street are due to be occupied in the next few months and hope it is the start of a change. The key to the growth and development of the city centre, however, is having adequate flood defences in place and a planned programme and funding to implement that long-term plan.

I thank the Minister of State for the work he is doing and all those in the OPW for the enthusiasm with which they are now dealing with this matter. It is long overdue, particularly in relation to Cork.