Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 November 2022
248. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the position regarding the national coastal change management strategy steering group on coastal erosion at Pilmore Beach, County Cork; and the details of the plans for long-term measures to address this continuing problem which has only had stop-gap measures applied to date which have not provided lasting protection for the local coastline. [57528/22]
View answer255. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will urgently request senior Office of Public Works engineers to assess the works that were recently undertaken to arrest coastal erosion at Pilmore Beach, County Cork and to determine if further remedial works are required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57527/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 248 and 255 together.
Local Authorities are responsible for coastal erosion in their own areas. Local Authorities may carry out coastal protection works using their own resources. If necessary, they may also put forward proposals to the relevant Government Departments for funding of appropriate measures. Intervention or hard defences have the potential to cause problems further along the coast, any proposed intervention measures are best developed in conjunction with a formal coastal risk management study that has carefully investigated the problem and explored the full range of management options.
In 2021, the OPW approved funding of €34,392 to Cork County Council under the OPW Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme for a Minor Works project involving the repair and replacement of a tidal sluice and associated works at Pilmore, Youghal Co. Cork. Any queries regarding the works being carried out are a matter for Cork County Council.
I am advised that the OPW has no application in respect of Coastal Erosion Protection in this area.
To assist Local Authorities in managing the coastline for coastal erosion, the OPW has undertaken a national assessment of coastal erosion (including erosion rates) under the Irish Coastal Protection Strategy Study and the results of this study have been published on the OPW website floodinfo.ie. This data enables Local Authorities to develop appropriate plans and strategies for the sustainable management of the coastline in their counties. The OPW is currently carrying out a Pilot Coastal Monitoring Survey Programme which is a five year pilot project to implement a regular survey programme in selected coastal locations to increase our understanding of coastal change in these areas. The coastline at Youghal, including Pilmore beach, is one of the areas included in this pilot programme with surveying activities commencing in 2022. Aerial photography and LiDAR surveys are due to be carried out annually with a bathymetry survey undertaken once every five years. The aerial photography data for 2022 was captured in May with the bathymetry survey data captured in September. LiDAR data is due to be captured by the end of 2022 with further aerial photography and LiDAR surveys planned for 2023 and 2024. Additional details of the pilot programme are available at floodinfo.ie.
The Government has established an Inter-Departmental Group on Managing Coastal Change to scope out an approach for the development of a national co-ordinated and integrated strategy to manage the projected impact of coastal change to our coastal communities. The Inter-Departmental Group is jointly chaired by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the OPW and will bring forward options and recommendations for the Government to consider.
