James Browne
Question:38. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans for flood relief schemes in County Wexford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5760/19]
View answerThursday, 7 February 2019
Questions (38)
Written answers
As the Deputy is aware, the River Slaney (Enniscorthy) Flood Relief Scheme is at an advanced stage of planning and design, and it is hoped to proceed to formal Exhibition as required under the Arterial Drainage Acts (ADA) in late March/early April this year, following which, if the scheme proposals are generally well received, the design will be finalised and all required documentation will be submitted to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, requesting formal confirmation of the scheme under the ADA. It is hoped therefore that the tender process for contractors to construct the scheme will begin in June 2019, and if all goes well, it is hoped to commence construction in late 2019/early 2020.
Works are also ongoing and/or planned in a number of other areas in County Wexford –
Wexford Town
The Flood Risk Management Plan for the South East River Basin District includes proposed structural flood relief measures for Wexford town. These will consist of building hard defences and improvement of channel conveyance. These measures for Wexford were included in the initial tranche of investment which I announced on 3rd May 2018 with €257m funding for 50 new projects to proceed to detailed project level design and construction. Work on the Wexford project has commenced with Wexford County Council (WCC) leading on its implementation and a Project Steering Group has been established.
New Ross
Flood defence works have been carried out by contractors on behalf of WCC and some funding for these works has been provided by the Office of Public Works (OPW). Additional works in the area require to be carried out by WCC to ensure protection to the 1 in 200 year standard, and funding for this will be provided by the OPW.
Rosslare
The flood and erosion risk in the Rosslare area north of the seaport and the options for mitigating that risk are under consideration by WCC. A meeting was held between WCC and its consultants RPS and the OPW in December 2018 in this regard.