Provision of €10m flood relief scheme for Bandon a ‘priority’

The provision of a €10 million flood relief scheme for Bandon remains a priority and work will begin in 2016, according to Simon Harris, Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works.

Mr Harris said the OPW was “progressing the Bandon project as a matter of urgency” with the project gone to tender and replies due in January, which, following assessment, will allow work to begin in 2016 with completion set for 2018.

Mr Harris's predecessor, Brian Hayes, had previously promised in 2011 and again in 2012 that work would begin on the project in 2013, but a threat of legal action by a contractor who did not make the shortlist led to the tendering process having to be reconstituted.

The flood relief scheme consists mainly of new walls and embankments; deepening the bed of the river Bandon by 1.5m through the town and downstream for over 3kms; replacement of a pedestrian bridge; new fish passages; and building new pumping stations.

100-year flood

Mr Harris said the flood relief scheme “will bring flood protection to approximately 390 properties (177 residential) currently at risk from what is known as a 100-year flood event, which is the standard level of protection provided.”

Cork county manager Tim Lucey acknowledged the community in Bandon felt "deep frustration and anger" following the most recent flood, but said the council, in tandem with the OPW, was treating the provision of flood defences "as a priority" across the county.

Dredging work

Mr Lucey said contractors could be on site in Bandon by mid-2016. He pointed out some dredging work had taken place around the bridge in Bandon, which had helped increase the carrying capacity of the river under normal circumstances.

However, Mr Lucey conceded such was the volume of rain over the past number of days that the cumulative positive impacts of ongoing dredging work “made no significant impact on the current level of flooding”.

Local Cork South West Fine Gael TD Jim Daly visited affected businesses in Bandon yesterday and conceded there was nothing he could do to speed up the flood relief scheme.

However, he said: “These people were hit six years ago and they have no insurance, so I will be pressing the Government to come up with a compensation package for them.”

Independent councillor and general election candidate Alan Coleman called for an explanation of why it took the OPW 20 months to reconfigure its tender documents after the unsuccessful contractor threatened legal action over their exclusion from the shortlist.