The Office of Public Works (OPW) has no responsibility for maintenance of former Land Commission embankments and sluices and it is not the intention that it would take responsibility for them. OPW has no responsibility for any embankments at Incharee, Glosha and Cromane Lower.
The investigation and addressing of coastal protection problems at these locations are matters for Kerry County Council in the first instance. It is open to the Council to apply for funding to deal with coastal protection under the Office of Public Works (OPW) Minor Flood Mitigation Works & Coastal Protection Scheme. Any application received will be assessed under the eligibility criteria, which include a requirement that any measures are cost beneficial, and having regard to the overall availability of funding.
The OPW allocated funding of €180,000 to Kerry County Council under the Minor Flood Mitigation Works & Coastal Protection Scheme in 2012 for embankment strengthening works at Cromane and Incharee. This funding has now been drawn down by the Council.
The Office of Public Works wrote on 10 January, 2014 to City and County Managers in coastal areas indicating that it will accept applications under its Minor Flood Mitigation Works & Coastal Protection Scheme for funding to assist with repairs to built flood defences and coastal protection structures which have been damaged by the recent storms. This is a once-off measure to reinstate built coastal defences to their pre-storm condition. The specific application form for this entitled Coastal Storm Damage Flooding Questionnaire 2014 is available on OPW's website www.opw.ie under Flood Risk Management. Any work for which funding is sought will be carried out by the Local Authorities. It is also open to Local Authorities to carry out flood mitigation and coastal protection works using their own resources.
