I propose that the petitions considered by the committee at this meeting and previous meetings may be published; and the replies from the Departments and other bodies may also be published. Is that agreed? Agreed.
We have three petitions for consideration today. P00035/24, on "Mogeely interim flood relief" is from Gleann Fia, Mogeely, County Cork, residents' association. It states:
While we wholeheartedly appreciate Cork County Council's attempts to respond to the scale of the problem for all of East Cork, we feel we can as a community assist in the solution for our area. There is currently a culvert under the Killeagh Road which becomes overwhelmed from water entering it from the woods on higher ground. The proposal is to hold any overflow of water at the lowest point of the land until levels drop in the stream across the road. As soon as the levels drop, it is proposed to release the water under the road in a direct line to join the Dower River which disappears into the cave systems and does not affect any other area downstream. The landowner has the equipment and expertise to complete this body of work and would only require your approval. This would ensure the safety of the wider community in Mogeely during heavy rainfall periods and not just Gleann Fia estate. This interim flood relief scheme will allow us to sleep at night and not worry about waking up to waist-height contaminated water and having to carry our babies out to safety again. The residents of Gleann Fia are continuing to live this nightmare every time it rains.
The secretariat wrote to Cork County Council seeking a response advising of its views within 14 days. A response was received on 17 May 2024 advising the committee to redirect the request to the Office of Public Works based on the ongoing collaborations between Cork County Council and the OPW to find appropriate solutions to the flooding.
The secretariat then wrote to the OPW on 22 May 2024 and received a response on 6 June 2024. I have seen that response and a lot of it is copy-and-paste. I know the area very well. Gleann Fia is somewhat unusual because the houses there are timber frame which means you cannot just put in flood gates and then point them back, like you do in businesses. There has to be another way found. I have requested a meeting with Cork County Council for about two weeks' time to discuss various flood-prone areas.
The committee recommends that the response from the OPW be published and forwarded to the petitioner for comment within 14 days. Is that agreed?
