Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 March 2022
96. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his Department in the course of consultation with landowners on its primary function of flood defence infrastructure in future consider ascertaining if landowners would be willing to grant permissive access to those parts of lands for walking or cycling infrastructure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11398/22]
View answer110. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the engagements his Department has had with local authorities or other agencies in relation to the potential of flood defence infrastructure such as levees for walking or cycling infrastructure; if Fáilte Ireland, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, local authorities or local development companies has engaged with his Department in relation to same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11397/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 96 and 110 together.
Engineering and environmental consultants appointed by the Office of Public Works (OPW) and local authorities, under the current national programme of major flood relief schemes, as part of the National Development Plan, do assess the potential to enhance local public realm and environment within reasonable costs as part of the scheme’s overall design for a at risk community.
While the provision of walkways and cycleways is a matter for local authorities, the OPW is happy to work with the local authorities and other State bodies with their planned development of such community assets, where feasible. In this context, consideration of greenways forms part of the consultant’s brief for flood relief schemes being designed for Limerick City and Environs as well as Dundalk and Ardee, Co Louth.
The OPW carries out a programme of Arterial Drainage Maintenance to a total of 11,500 km of river channel and approximately 730 km of embankments nationally. These maintenance works relate to arterial drainage schemes completed by the OPW under the Arterial Drainage Acts 1945 and 1995. The OPW has a statutory duty to maintain the completed schemes in proper repair and effective condition. These embankments are not in State ownership but are on lands that are, for the most part, privately owned. I am advised that these embankments were not designed or constructed to cater for cycleways or walkways and might not have the capability to have any sort of walking or cycling infrastructure placed on top of them.
