Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 May 2021
256. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the flood relief scheme for the River Slaney, Enniscorthy town, County Wexford; when the scheme will be formally signed off; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24087/21]
View answerThe Enniscorthy (River Slaney) flood defence scheme is being progressed by Wexford County Council (WCC) on behalf of the Commissioners of Public Works as a scheme under the Arterial Drainage Acts 1945 and 1995. This is a significant scheme within the Office of Public Works €1 billion flood relief investment programme nationally, from which the relevant funding for the Enniscorthy scheme will be made available, and on completion will protect 236 properties in the town.
The Scheme requires formal confirmation from the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (MPER) to proceed. This is a statutory requirement under the Arterial Drainage Acts(ADA), which now, under the recent European Union (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Arterial Drainage) Regulations 2019, also requires the MPER to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the proposed Scheme. This involves, inter alia, a formal review by MPER of the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) commissioned by WCC and recently submitted (along with a Natura Impact Statement) to MPER as part of the formal Confirmation process.
DPER ran the statutory public consultation period required in relation to this process from July 28th to August 28th, 2020. The initial phase of the review of the EIAR and NIS was carried out by consultants engaged for this purpose by DPER, during September and early October. DPER subsequently forwarded submissions from the public consultation, and the EIAR and NIS reviews, to the OPW, along with a request for supplementary information, pursuant to ADA regulations 2019, to ensure that the design of the scheme complies with relevant environmental directives and regulations.
The OPW, Wexford County Council, and scheme consultants Mott Mc Donald formally submitted their response to DPER in the final week of April 2021. DPER and their consultants will now proceed to review the material submitted with a view to confirming the scheme. It is not possible to provide a specific timeline for a formal decision regarding confirmation in advance of that.
Completion of the above tasks and the progression of the flood relief scheme is a priority for all parties. In parallel with the confirmation process, OPW and Wexford County Council have been working on the following to ensure as efficient progression of the works as possible once the scheme is confirmed
- the Foreshore licence application public consultation has been completed, approval expected mid 2021
- a legal agreement with Irish Water for diversion of services has been agreed. The detailed design for these works is complete, and contractor tender documents are currently being reviewed prior to advertisement.
- Technical approvals have been received from Irish Rail regarding the rail line crossings, with the legal agreement well advanced
- Archaeological excavations are ongoing
- Removal of invasive species (e.g. Japanese Knotweed) is ongoing
- Pre-qualification of the bridgeworks contractor is almost complete, with a view to expediting contractor appointment post-confirmation
