Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 February 2014
303. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in view of the recent flooding in Cork City, his plans for major flood relief work in the city; when he expects this work to proceed; the funding that is in place for this work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8289/14]
View answerWork on developing a flood relief scheme for Cork City has been under way for some time. The Scheme covers the area from Inniscarra Dam to downstream of the City on the River Lee, and it will also include proposals for Blackpool and Ballyvolane which are affected by tributaries of the River Lee.
As I announced in Cork two weeks ago, the emerging preferred Scheme will be brought before the public in a Public Information day on 29th July, 2014. The full scheme and statutory documentation will then be formally placed on Public Exhibition in December 2014 and this will run over December 2014 to January 2015 when representatives of the Design team will be in attendance on advertised days to meet with the public and deal with any queries arising. The public will have a further month to make submissions on the proposals which will be considered as the scheme moves forward. The project is overseen by a steering group consisting of officials from the OPW, the Local Authority and the design consultants for the scheme. OPW and Cork City Council will consider how best to engage with local stakeholder groups to gather in their input, which will inform the options during the design process.
It is intended that the completion of the detailed design and the procurement of a works contractor, along with formal Statutory Confirmation of the Scheme by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, will be completed by November 2015 with the intention that works will be commenced before the end of 2015. Pending the emergence of the preferred scheme proposals in the next few months it is not possible to estimate how much the overall scheme will cost. However, the Government is fully committed to providing a flood relief scheme for Cork City as soon as possible, and to providing the necessary funding for this.
