19 February 2016
By Bryan T. Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Deputy Michael McGrath is Fianna Fail spokesman on Finance
Michael McGrath, Cork South Central election candidate and Fianna Fáil Finance Spokesperson said that progress on the planned Cork City Flood Relief Scheme must be accelerated by the next government.
Michael McGrath stated, “Minister of State Simon Harris has confirmed in a parliamentary reply to me that the outline design of the Cork City Flood Relief Scheme is expected to be completed in the next few months. Further design work and other preliminary steps will take until at least early 2017. It is anticipated that the works will then take at least four to five years to complete.
“While this is undoubtedly a complex scheme, it is a sad state of affairs that it will have taken at least 8 years from the major flood event of 2009 before work gets underway on building flood defences in the city.
“It is extremely disappointing that this vital scheme could take until 2022 to complete. It takes far too long to get flood relief schemes through the design and planning stages to the point where work actually begins on their construction.
“This government has utterly failed on the subject of flood relief works. The government failed to spend €13 million allocated for flood relief works in 2015, and then slashed the budget for capital flood relief words for 2016 by €9 million.
“The next government must prioritise the roll out of the Cork City Flood Relief Scheme, along with other local flood relief schemes in places like Douglas, Glenbrook and Ballinhassig. Proper investment in flood defences will save many families and small businesses in Cork from devastating flood damage in the years ahead.”
