A culvert scheme to help prevent flooding in Bantry town will enter the planning stage later this month but is set to take at least a year to construct, according to the Office of Public Works (OPW) minister.
Minister Kieran O’Donnell gave an update on the scheme during a walkabout of Bantry, where he was met by business owners and householders affected by Saturday’s flooding of New Street and Main Street in the town.
Furious business owners said they had been given promises of action following flooding of the town in 2020 but are still waiting for action.
The severe floods in parts of Cork followed heavy rainfall, with a status orange warning having been in place for Cork, Kerry, and Waterford until midnight on Saturday. Bantry was among the worst impacted, with shops on Main Street and New Street being flooded.
Mr O’Donnell pledged that action will include progressing a culvert scheme for the town. He said Enterprise Minister Peter Burke and Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys will bring forward memos to Cabinet on Tuesday to give emergency business and humanitarian support.
He said he has called a meeting for Wednesday involving the OPW, Cork County Council, Uisce Éireann and the consultants on the culvert scheme, which he will chair. The aim of the meeting is to examine if the culvert scheme can be expedited. He said the scheme is “hugely important” and will enter the planning stage at the end of this month.
He accepted however that once the planning process has been completed, the construction phase would take a year. Mr O’Donnell said that a flood relief scheme for the town is in the first stage, with public consultation taking place last May.
The minister said the council is hoping to be in a position to go into the design stage next year for the culvert scheme. “The construction will probably take about a year because it is a very big project – it goes right underneath the town itself.”
He said approval has been given for “individual protection” such as flood gates for businesses and homes in Bantry, which will be rolled out by Cork County Council “with immediate effect”.
He pledged government support financially, adding: “The culvert is the key element here and I want to see how we can expedite it and interim measures before that.”
Ian Hurley of Vickery Hardware on Main Street met the minister as he gathered basins of water from the back of his premises as part of the clean up.
Mr Hurley told the that he recalls seeing his father lift his grandmother up the stairs of the building several years ago following a flooding in the area.
He said: “I had to use the reserve sandbags that I had and I had just enough time to do the front door, do the side door, not enough for the other tenants around the corner. We got about six inches of water inside here — not the worst.”
He said it has previously reached the top of the counter on the premises.
“This is an ongoing problem and nothing has been done about it. I am tired, just so tired. They keep promising stuff and even if they are trying, they are not trying hard enough and they are not doing enough.”
Regarding the flooding, Taoiseach Simon Harris said: “Any interim measures that can be put in place as we move into this winter should absolutely do so.
“We’ve seen great results from flood protection schemes across the country, but where towns and villages are still waiting for flood relief schemes, we do need to say what more can be done in the interim.”
Asked about support levels likely to be granted to businesses and households, Mr Harris said that there is a template in place for financial aid.
“I know that is no substitute, by the way, for the trauma that you can experience if your business or your home is flooded,” Mr Harris said.
Yesterday, Enterprise Minister Peter Burke confirmed he would work with Government to reopen the Emergency Business Flooding Scheme.
He said that his department is liaising with Cork County Council and the Government will “stand ready to provide support”.
The scheme previously worked in two stages — with one allowing for a quick payment of up to €5,000. A second stage, where damage exceeded €5,000, allowed businesses to apply for up to a maximum of €20,000.