Crossmolina Flood Relief Scheme must be delivered without further delay– Ring

The Crossmolina Flood Relief Scheme must be delivered to protect homes and businesses in the town without any undue delay, according to Fine Gael TD Michael Ring.

Deputy Ring hopes a decision will be made by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in the coming weeks to approve the scheme so that construction can get underway.

Deputy Ring said: “The flood relief scheme in the town of Crossmolina will protect an estimated 106 properties and is badly needed given the serious risk of flooding in the town.

“An initial round of public consultation was held from December 2020 and concluded in January 2021.

The Department subsequently sought additional information regarding the scheme from the Office of Public Works, and another public consultation got underway from May to July last year.

“Environmental consultants are currently reviewing the submissions made, and to carry out an impact assessment report required under EU directives.

“That work is due to be completed in the coming weeks and the Minister will then make a decision to either confirm, refuse or request additional information from the OPW on the flood relief scheme.

“A considerable amount of time has now passed since provisional work on this scheme started in terms of design, assessments, and survey. Work on the scheme started in 2012 and the spend to date is €1.7m, with €1.6m of this amount since 2015 for the design of the scheme and the associated environmental assessments.

“The River Deel and Crossmolina Town have a history of flooding and there is a critical need for a flood defence scheme to protect the community from future flooding events.

“Government has committed €1.3bn to the delivery of flood relief schemes over the lifetime of the National Development Plan (NDP) to 2030 to protect approximately 23,000 properties in communities at significant risk from river and coastal flood risk.

“Information provided to me reveals that since 2018, the funding has enabled the Office of Public Works to treble its work on flood relief schemes – to some 90 schemes at design and construction countrywide.

“Given the substantial investment in protecting our communities and businesses from the scourge of flooding, it is essential that the Crossmolina Flood Relief scheme gets the go ahead and construction can commence without any undue delay.”