An Taisce has expressed concerns that a £27 million flood relief scheme for Kilkenny will change the character of the city and put medieval artefacts at risk.
It claims the scale of the work, to be undertaken over the next three years, is out of proportion to the city's flooding problem, which affects up to 50 properties. The chairman of the local association of An Taisce, Dr Declan Murphy, described the scheme yesterday as "Kilkenny's Wood Quay".
"I am not comparing the two sites in terms of archaeological significance, as we are not dealing here with a Viking settlement. But we do have something very valuable and future generations will look back in horror at what is about to happen just as we look back to 1978 when Wood Quay was bulldozed into the ground."
In a letter this week to the Office of Public Works, which is implementing the scheme, Dr Murphy said the scheme would result in a radical change to the appearance of Kilkenny city centre.
The project is to include the construction of walls and embankments along the rivers Nore and Breagagh, the deepening and widening of a stretch of the Nore through the city, the underpinning of bridges and the restoration or construction of weirs. The scheme extends from Bishop's Meadows, north of Green's Bridge, to Fennessy's Weir, downstream of Ossory Bridge. Preparatory work began recently.
Kilkenny County Council, which held a meeting with An Taisce and the Kilkenny Archaeological Society about the scheme on Monday, says it will raise with the OPW "as a matter of urgency" concerns expressed by the two bodies. The meeting was attended by senior officers including county manager Mr P.J. Donnelly.
In his letter to the OPW, Dr Murphy said a number of medieval artefacts had been exposed by preliminary excavations, including the foundations of 18th century and 15th century bridges at John's Bridge and the remains of buildings between there and Green's Bridge. These artefacts were to be removed for safe keeping but there was no provision for them to be retained or displayed at an appropriate alternative location, he said.
Dr Murphy said the scheme involved a disproportionate level of destruction to the river Nore and the cityscape. "While we have every sympathy for those who are affected by flooding, none of us anticipated that the solution would involve such radical alteration and destruction to the river and surrounding area."
An information leaflet on the project is being distributed by Kilkenny County Council to homes and businesses close to the river. In a statement yesterday, the council said it would hold regular meetings with interest groups and those directly affected.
A spokeswoman for the OPW said it had received Dr Murphy's letter yesterday and would be responding in detail to An Taisce. It would also make a public statement when all of the matters raised had been considered.
