Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 10 Feb 1999

Vol. 500 No. 2

Adjournment Debate. - Cobh (Cork) Landslides.

Mr. Stanton

I am here on behalf of the citizens of Cobh, County Cork. As the Minister of State is aware, Cobh is unique. It is a town of great beauty and fascinating history. In the past it experienced great sadness but today there is vibrancy and hope among its population. However, Cobh has been neglected. It is the largest town in the largest county but it has no swimming pool or community centre and major renovations to its only approach road, which were begun several years ago, have been abandoned.

My purpose in raising this matter is to highlight the fact that Cobh is experiencing even greater difficulties, namely, a long-standing problem with land slippage. I expect the Minister of State has checked the records and is aware that approximately 18 years ago a major landslide took place in Cobh. At that time, houses were demolished, people had to be reaccommodated and other consequences arose. We do not want that to happen again. However, approximately 18 months ago, another major landslide occurred in Fort Villas in Cobh. This resulted in some families losing the entrance road to their houses. The road, which is situated high above the town, collapsed in a number of places. It was fortunate that people travelling on the main road, which is situated below the entrance road, were not killed.

Members will be aware that Cobh is built like a stack of cards and there remains a danger to people's lives from falling boulders and other such material. In Connolly St., rocks are falling into people's back gardens. A dangerous situation also exists in Harbour View Slope, Harbour Row Slope, Harbour View East Hill, High Road – west of the museum – Fort Villas and Fr. Corbett Terrace, where senior citizens live in fear of further landslides. This is a serious problem.

I am aware the urban district council commissioned engineers to carry out repair works and they have determined that stabilisation works are urgently required. I understand that a report on this matter has been with the Department for a long period. The problem has been ongoing for 18 years. Will the Minister ensure that funding is made available before a fatality or a disaster occurs in Cobh? This must be done quickly and the ball is in the Minister's court. The UDC and the council have done everything possible and have carried out major investigations into the matter. Last week the Minister replied to a question I tabled by stating that the Department expects to respond to the UDC in the near future. I implore the Minister to ensure that that promise is kept because this is a serious matter.

I visited Cobh and I invite the Minister to do so to see the cracks in the ground where another slippage could occur because the area is composed largely of shale. I am confident the Minister of State will do his utmost to provide funding and I expect his reply will be favourable.

Mr. D. Wallace

I apologise for the absence of the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Deputy Dempsey, who is unable to be present in the House to respond to this matter.

The urban area of Cobh is unique in terms of its geological and structural problems. The geology of the area is limestone shale, which following excavation and weathering, has become unstable in certain areas. This instability has been exacerbated by the manner in which Cobh has developed, especially in the last century. As a result of the construction of the naval dockyard and supply port at Haulbowline, the population of the town grew from a few hundred at the beginning of the 1800s to 7,000 by 1837. Demand for accommodation meant that hillsides were excavated to create building space and access roads. This activity resulted in very steep slope faces, and rock faces of up to 90 degrees behind houses. The excavated stone was used to construct the houses, roads and retaining walls. Those retaining walls were generally substandard.

Following a fatality caused by a landslide in 1980, the Department has given considerable financial assistance towards remedial works undertaken by Cobh UDC to strengthen areas susceptible to landslides. The assistance takes the form of 100 per cent grants, subject to prior approval of the remedial works by the Department. Since 1980, grants of almost £1.5 million have been paid to the UDC.

By 1996 Cobh UDC had identified the following projects as requiring remedial works: Harbour View Slope-Connolly Street, Harbour Row Slope and Harbour View. In January 1997 the Depart ment of Finance, at the request of my Department, sanctioned an increased overall limit of expenditure of some £2.3 million to cover the Harbour View Slope-Connolly Street, Harbour Row Slope and Harbour View projects. Approval of contract documents in respect of one project, Harbour View Slope and Connolly Street, were issued to Cobh UDC in February 1998. Subsequently, when the urban council submitted a tender to the Department for approval it became clear that the cost of the works had increased to £378,000, an increase of approximately £210,000 or 125 per cent on the original estimate cost of £167,500.

The Department asked the UDC why costs had escalated to this extent, not simply because of the specific project put to tender but because of the implications for the other cost estimates in respect of the remaining projects. Information received from Cobh UDC late last year suggests that the package of projects to be put in place from within the overall programme of £2.3 million approved by the Department of Finance cannot now be accommodated within this figure. In addition, a number of additional projects have been identified by the UDC as requiring attention. The Department is in correspondence with the Department of Finance on these developments.

I share the Deputy's concern about the situation in Cobh, but I must be satisfied that the work to be undertaken from public funds is cost effective and properly prioritised. Bearing this in mind, I will arrange for the Department to convey an early decision to Cobh UDC on the tender before the Department for approval. I anticipate that the UDC will be asked to prioritise the remaining projects before the Department to establish the order in which they should be dealt with. When this is to hand I will arrange for the requests for funding from Cobh to be considered further in the light of the overall funding available following our discussions with the Department of Finance.