The Government will make up to €100 million available to carry out flood protection work for Cork with a possible starting date for the three-year project in 2015, Minister of State Brian Hayes pledged last night.
Mr Hayes said that providing a flood relief scheme for Cork city to prevent a repeat of this week’s flooding was an absolute priority for the Government and would be the biggest such project to be undertaken.
“The Government is absolutely committed to resolving this issue. The very complicated scheme that is being brought forward will be published in July of this year where the preferred option will be set out,” he said.
“Assuming that we can get through all the phases of that development there is no reason why we can’t start constructing this scheme at the end of next year, 2015, and it will be at least a three-year project and could well be in excess in €50 million.”
Mr Hayes said it was important that the project is properly designed to meet Cork’s specific needs and it was equally important that there was local buy-in into the project. He conceded that failure to do that could lead to further delays which would push completion out past 2018.
Slipping timeline
"This is an absolute priority for the Government – this is the biggest flood-defence scheme that we will be proceeding with and the funding is in place for this."
Mr Hayes said there will be several elements to the scheme including the provision of barriers on the quay walls to prevent the river Lee breaking its banks, which led to major flooding in Cork city centre on Monday and Tuesday.
Mr Hayes was speaking after meeting with public representatives and business leaders in Cork City Hall last night.
