Colm Burke (Fine Gael)
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I know there are many demands on the Department in respect of flood relief but this matter goes back to 2012 when the Meadowbrook estate in Glanmire, County Cork, was badly flooded and some houses were under between 4 ft and 5 ft of water, with extensive damage done. The estate is alongside the Glashaboy River and it was decided there was a need for a flood relief scheme. A lot of work was done to prepare for the scheme, with an open discussion and presentation taking place in November 2016. The scheme was to provide protection for more than 78 houses and businesses along the route but we are now in 2018 and there is concern about the scheme. It needs to be prioritised and everyone in the estate is concerned that a freak thunderstorm or extensive rainfall would hit the estate again with flooding. Some residents did not have insurance at the time of the flooding, which meant they had major challenges. The damage was such that some houses had to be totally refurbished and some people have still not got over the incident.

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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I thank the Senator for raising this matter today and I am pleased to provide an update on the Glashaboy flood relief scheme, Glanmire, County Cork. Good progress is being made in advancing this much needed scheme. I have visited many of the areas in Cork that have experienced flooding and I am fully committed to ensuring that the flooding problems in these areas are dealt with as quickly as possible.

The Office of Public Works, OPW, in partnership with both Cork City Council and Cork County Council, recognised the high levels of existing flood risk in the River Lee catchment and carried out a catchment flood risk assessment and management, CFRAM, study for the Lee catchment which includes the Glashaboy River catchment. The draft catchment flood risk management plan was published in February 2010, and this identified a preferred option for the alleviation of flood risk in the Glashaboy catchment. Following significant flooding which occurred in June 2012 in the Glanmire-Sallybrook area, Cork County Council commissioned consultants to develop a flood relief scheme for Glanmire-Sallybrook. Cork County Council is progressing the scheme with funding from the OPW.

As the Senator will know, the locations identified in this scheme include the Sallybrook industrial estate, Hazelwood shopping centre, the Meadowbrook housing estate, Butlerstown, Glenmore and Glanmire Bridge to O'Callaghan Park. Following detailed assessment by the consultants, measures were identified to address flood risk in the area, including direct defences, for example, walls and embankments, culvert upgrades, flood relief culverts, channel widening, clearance of bridge eyes and road regrading. The scheme will benefit 103 properties in total, a total of 78 residential properties and 25 commercial premises.

Two public information days were held in February 2014 and February 2015 and submissions were considered by the design team. Subsequently, as the options were developed and the necessary environmental and engineering reports were prepared, the formal public exhibition of the Glashaboy flood relief scheme took place in November and December 2016, showing the preferred option developed by the consultants. The members of the design team were available for the public to discuss all aspects of the scheme. As part of the exhibition process, submissions were received from the public on the scheme proposals.

The Glashaboy flood relief scheme will be submitted to the Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform for confirmation under the arterial drainage Acts in the coming weeks. This is the final element of the planning process for the scheme. As the Senator will be aware, there is a significant procurement process to be undertaken in bringing the scheme to construction stage. It is anticipated that construction will commence before the end of this year. In the interim, Cork County Council is undertaking a number of preliminary contracts such as tree felling, in respect of which a contractor has been appointed. Once ground conditions improve, he will mobilise to the first two works areas, which are Meadowbrook and upstream of the Hazelwood Avenue bridge. This is anticipated to be within the coming week, depending on weather and ground conditions.Bridge clearance and the clearance works in Glyntown Bridge were completed in November 2017.

Japanese knotweed, a native species, presented issues in a number of our schemes and a contractor has been in place for two stages of the treatment of Japanese knotweed and other knotweed variants. Work was carried out within the catchment area in August and September 2017. In addition, other advanced works have been carried out in respect of sensitive ecological receptors such as otter holes to minimise delays on the main contract. This advanced work will greatly enhance the progress of the project when the contractor is appointed. The progress of the scheme will offer great comfort to residents, businesses and homeowners in Glanmire as well as other towns such as Mallow, Fermoy, Kilkenny and Clonmel where major OPW schemes have been built to offset the severe weather and rainfall will no longer cause alarm and distress.

I assure the Seanad that the Government, through the OPW and local authorities, will continue the existing high level of investment in flood relief works and ensure that this very important area of works will receive the highest priority and attention now and into the future. I look forward to going to Cork to announce the Glashaboy flood relief scheme formally later this year.

Colm Burke (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State and appreciate the comprehensive reply he has given. He outlined the historical background and the work which has been done and which needs to be done. My only issue is that the residents want action. The more the Minister of State can do to bring forward the tendering process and the commencement of the works the better, and it would be very much appreciated.

I again thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply and look forward to working with him on this and other schemes in Cork. They are very important for the residents in the area who have suffered a great deal in an unusual situation in 2012. They are still recovering. They feel it is very important for the scheme to go ahead.

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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I can assure the Senator that no one knows more about the hardship which has been caused to these people than I do because I have visited many of the areas affected. I fully appreciate where the Senator is coming from. He does a lot of good work in the area. I assure him that as soon as we get approval, I will ensure engineers from the OPW work with the local authority to speed up the delivery of the scheme. It has been on the table for a long time, but these schemes take time. I know the stress the delay has caused. I wish to assure all Senators that where flood relief projects are highlighted and there are calls for a project to get up and running, I will be to the fore in making sure that they are delivered as soon as possible.