Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 October 2023
72. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform whether he will grant Cork City Council funding for a flood barrier for Coppervalley Vue in Cork city. [46922/23]
View answerThe Office of Public Works (OPW) in partnership with Cork City Council are engaging proactively to progress the Glashaboy flood relief scheme for Glanmire.
The Glashaboy Flood Relief Scheme was confirmed in January 2021 by the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform under the Arterial Drainage Acts 1945 to 1995. The scheme is being funded from the €1.3 billion in flood relief measures under the National Development Plan to 2030, and as part of Project Ireland 2040.
The scheme, when complete, will provide flood protection to some 103 properties; 78 residential properties and 25 commercial premises and will address the flood risk in a number of locations in the Glanmire area. The scheme will include defences, such as walls and embankments; culvert upgrades; channel widening and road re-grading.
In April 2023, Cork City Council, following a successful tender competition, awarded the civil works contract to Sorensen Civil Engineering. In July 2023 Sorensen Civil Engineering mobilised on site carrying out site investigation works, working with utility providers to agree diversions and engaging with stakeholders with works commencing on site at Cúil Chluthair and Springmount.
The construction programme is anticipated to take 32 months with the works split up into several Zones to minimise disruption to the public and businesses.
As part of the scheme, works are proposed at Copper Valley Vue and the surrounding area, to include the replacement of culverts at Brooklodge Grove Culvert to provide additional capacity, the construction of new flood walls at Brooklodge, the replacement of the entrance bridge at Copper Valley Vue to increase channel capacity and the channel upstream of the bridge to be widened to increase capacity. All works will take place primarily within the Glenmore stream and as such are restricted to the fisheries window. Due to the volume of works required in this area the works are planned to be carried out over two instream windows and will be completed between Q3 2024 and Q3 2025.
Following the events of Storm Babet last Week, I visited Coppervalley Vue last Friday the 20th October with Deputies Colm Burke and Padraig O'Sullivan and we met with the local residents and saw first-hand the serious damage that was caused to the properties in the estate. I was accompanied on the visit by OPW Engineers and we met with Cork City Council officials at the estate. The design team will now examine the proposed works throughout the Glashaboy Flood relief Scheme to consider whether there are any additional short term or other interventions that can be beneficially proposed in addition to the approved works.
