Dara Calleary
Question:344. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform for an update on the flood relief scheme for Ballina, County Mayo. [47498/23]
View answerTuesday, 7 November 2023
Questions (344)
Written answers
The Office of Public Works (OPW) has responsibility for leading and co-ordinating the implementation of Ireland’s national flood policy, which includes the development of a planned programme of feasible works for flood relief schemes.
In 2018, to facilitate the development of a programme of works, the OPW completed a strategic study - the National Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme. The CFRAM programme resulted in the publication of 29 Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMPs), which identified and described the flood risk in 29 river basins (including the Moy and Killala Bay Basin and the town of Ballina in Co. Mayo) and potentially viable flood relief works.
To facilitate the progression of potentially viable flood relief works in Ballina, Mayo County Council agreed, with the support of the OPW, to lead the further detailed assessment of the flood risk, design options and environmental assessments to support planning applications for a viable scheme.
The Ballina Flood Relief Scheme, which has a preliminary total project budget of €30m, is currently at Stage 1 – Scheme Development and Preliminary Design. To progress the Ballina Flood Relief Scheme, Mayo County Council engaged the services of RPS Consulting Engineers Ltd.
With support from the OPW, various works have been completed by Mayo County Council and its consultants, including Hydrological and Hydraulic Reports, Topographical Surveys, Ground Investigations and Environmental Surveys, with public consultation events also having been held. A draft Options Report in which a preferred scheme design option has been identified is currently being reviewed. It is envisaged an Environmental Impact Assessment Report will be completed in Q1 2024 at which point Stage I will be completed and the scheme is expected to proceed to planning process from Q2 2024.