It should have been the ideal Christmas present for Carrick-on-Suir, a proposal to combat the chronic flooding which has hit the town with increasing frequency in recent years.
But the £2.6 million plan to contain the flood waters within walls and earthen berms on both sides of the Suir river has run into strong opposition from local people who claim it would destroy the heart of the town.
It's not just environmental activists who complain about the proposal to wall in the quaysides to a height, in places, of up to 6 ft. Carrick Chamber of Commerce has also expressed opposition.
Its president, Mr Lonan Burke, says the proposed walls would be very unsightly, would block the view of the river and might, as a result of the faster waters which would ensue, damage the town's Old Bridge.
Another vociferous opponent of the plan is local writer and historian, Mr Michael Coady, who says the issue is "one of the most momentous" ever to affect the town.
"In terms of the heart and soul of Carrick nothing as big and as irreversible as this will come around again, and we may be forced into militant action if we wish to stop it," he says.
This week Mr Coady, the Chamber of Commerce and Carrick Development Association began a survey to establish the townspeople's level of awareness of the scheme and their attitude towards it. Mr Burke says the results already coming in confirm that a majority of people are unhappy with the current plan.
Carrick Urban District Council's chairman, Mr Jimmy Hogan, says there may be room for compromise on the plan, but first there is a need for the public to be given more information.
While the proposals will remain on public display at Carrick Town Hall and at the Sean Healy Library until January 22nd, Mr Hogan agrees with opponents of the scheme that the information available is inadequate. The display consists of drawings and computer-enhanced photographs, but there is no model of the completed scheme.
Mr Hogan says UDC members are being asked questions about the plan which they simply cannot answer and they now want the OPW's design consultants, E.G. Pettit of Cork, to attend a public meeting to explain the proposals in full.
An OPW spokesman says any such request will certainly be considered. He pointed out that "quite a number" had been held with the UDC about the plan, and the current display was considered adequate as the scheme was not complex.
Opponents stress that flooding is a serious problem for the small number of families directly affected, but apart from the environmental considerations, they question whether the plan would actually work. They argue that it would simply channel the flood waters through the town, possibly with devastating consequences elsewhere.
Observations about the plan can be submitted to the OPW up to February 26th. A final proposal will then go to the Minister for Finance, who will make the ultimate decision on whether to proceed.
Officials of the OPW will be present at Sean Healy Library today from 2 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. and from 6.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. to answer questions about the plan