Brian Stanley: Demands Faster Action on Decade-Long Flood Schemes
Brian Stanley criticised the pace of multiple local flood relief schemes and warned projected timelines of over a decade are unacceptable. He urged the minister to speed up delivery, give more decision-making power to councils, confirm funding and engage with insurers on coverage.
The deputy reviewed schemes in Leash, Clunasley, Mount Melich and Port Arlington and set out specific delays. He noted the Clunasley scheme recently received funding approval and the council has approval to go to planning with the OPW, with a submission to board Planala expected soon, but warned that planning and build stages could mean up to 12 years from the 2017 flood. The Mount Melich scheme is currently with the OPW seeking permission to go to planning after flooding in November 2017. Surveys and environmental studies for Port Harrington are substantially completed, but design and planning stages could still leave communities waiting many years.
He reported residents in the Derry Clunasley area fear unintended consequences from moving water and said the council will return with an updated report to residents within four to six weeks. He said a repeated message from local authority officials is that county councils need greater decision-making powers, pointing to qualified executive engineers whose ability to act is slowed by multiple external reports and approvals.
The deputy highlighted rising costs and growing timelines as compounding problems. He said costs for schemes are now expected at roughly 15 to 17 million for Derry Clunasley and that Mount Millich was once discussed at 3 to 4 million but is now estimated at around 17 million; Port Harrington costs are also estimated in excess of 15 million. He warned that protracted processes increase the risk of further flooding and add to escalating budget pressures.
He asked the minister to confirm that funding will be available for Mount Millich and Port Harrington and welcomed the recent approval for Clunasley. He said that once a successful scheme is in place there should be no barrier to obtaining insurance and called on the government to engage directly with insurance companies to prevent escalating insurance costs.
Progress and timelines
The deputy reviewed schemes in Leash, Clunasley, Mount Melich and Port Arlington and set out specific delays. He noted the Clunasley scheme recently received funding approval and the council has approval to go to planning with the OPW, with a submission to board Planala expected soon, but warned that planning and build stages could mean up to 12 years from the 2017 flood. The Mount Melich scheme is currently with the OPW seeking permission to go to planning after flooding in November 2017. Surveys and environmental studies for Port Harrington are substantially completed, but design and planning stages could still leave communities waiting many years.
Local concerns and decision-making
He reported residents in the Derry Clunasley area fear unintended consequences from moving water and said the council will return with an updated report to residents within four to six weeks. He said a repeated message from local authority officials is that county councils need greater decision-making powers, pointing to qualified executive engineers whose ability to act is slowed by multiple external reports and approvals.
Costs and escalating estimates
The deputy highlighted rising costs and growing timelines as compounding problems. He said costs for schemes are now expected at roughly 15 to 17 million for Derry Clunasley and that Mount Millich was once discussed at 3 to 4 million but is now estimated at around 17 million; Port Harrington costs are also estimated in excess of 15 million. He warned that protracted processes increase the risk of further flooding and add to escalating budget pressures.
Funding assurance and insurance implications
He asked the minister to confirm that funding will be available for Mount Millich and Port Harrington and welcomed the recent approval for Clunasley. He said that once a successful scheme is in place there should be no barrier to obtaining insurance and called on the government to engage directly with insurance companies to prevent escalating insurance costs.
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Transcript
Minister, the flood relief schemes, there are three in Leash, Clunasley, Mount Melich and Port Arlington. I welcome the fact that they are progressing and I hope that you put some fire under them. The fact is that the schemes are too slow, the processes are too slow. The Clunasley scheme, and I welcome the fact that money was approved recently for this, the council has approval to go to planning there with the OPW for that, and that is to be lodged on board Planala very soon, but that could take a year and a further three years to build. But it was flooded in 2017, so that would mean 12 years, assuming everything goes right, to complete the scheme. It is just too long. The Mount Melich scheme, and you saw the properties of Mount Melich that were flooded when you visited yourself in the past. That scheme is currently with the OPW, again flooding in November of 2017. It is with the OPW seeking permission to go to planning for the go-to and board Planala. The Derry Clunasley area, there is a particular issue there. Residents are concerned about unintended consequences of water being moved from one place to another, but the council are to come back there with an updated report to those residents within four to six weeks. The cost of the scheme is expected to be 15 to 17 million. There are hundreds of houses that will be protected when the scheme is in place, but again, it is just way too long. The timeline you are talking about there, again, you are talking about 15 years in that case before the scheme would be actually completed. In the case of Port Harrington, again flooding in 2017, surveys are done, the council are progressing their work as quickly as they can, environmental studies, surveys, etc., and the design is substantially completed, but it has other stages to go through. Costs will probably be in, estimated, in excess of 15 million. But that, I am told, will take another seven years by the time it goes through planning and construction. So that will be 15 years from 2017 before it will be finished. You know, that is just too long. The schemes are too slow, minister. 13 and 15 years, best case scenario is just way too long. The one message that I am hearing from local authority officials in a number of counties is you need to give more decision-making powers to the county councils. You know, there are executive engineers, senior executive engineers, they are all qualified people. You know, having archaeological reports, hydrology reports, environmental and ecology reports, all going to import. It slows the process. The delays are causing the risks of further flooding. People are terrified of further flooding. And rising costs. I mean, really rising costs. Do you remember Mount Millich being talked about 3 and 4 million? You are looking at now 17 million probably, right? That is the estimates are there, 15 to 17. Can you clarify that the money will be there for Mount Millich and Port Harrington, as it has been approved already, which I welcome minister for Clunas Lee. And just the issue of insurance, where a successful scheme is in place, there should be no barrier to getting insurance. And there should not be escalating costs of insurance. And the government need to engage directly with the insurance companies on that.