Tag Archives: flooding

Minister For Employment and Small Business Pat Breen said he is satisfied that progress is now being made on the Ennis South Flood Relief Scheme as the project has gone to tender. “It is my understanding that the tender documents will be going out to contractors for pricing on Monday (yesterday). The tender period will be eight weeks, and pending no further complications, work is to commence on the ground in July,” said Minister Breen. “This third phase of the Ennis Flood Relief Scheme had been delayed due to technical difficulties, but I am pleased that the project is finally moving on,” added Minister Breen. “I understand the frustration of residence effected by flooding in this area of Ennis as they await the project to begin, a frustration that must be multiplied in recent days during the inclement weather, and I sincerely hope this is the beginning of the end of flooding issues for these people. “I have been working …

Clare County Council is advising motorists to slow down and drive with extreme caution due to continued heavy rainfall across the county. Spot flooding is reported on numerous routes, particularly throughout West Clare. Met Éireann is forecasting further falls of heavy rain today, tonight and into Saturday. Another 30 to 40mm of rainfall are expected, with greater totals on some higher ground.

RESIDENTS in a flood-prone community in South-East Clare have pledged to focus on proposed concrete solutions when a Government minister of state visits the area next week. Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW) and Flood Relief Sean Canney will visit Springfield, Clonlara on Monday. While Springfield resident Geraldine Quinlivan welcomed official confirmation of a visit from Minister Canney, she stressed that householders who have suffered so much flooding in recent decades need to hear details of when long-awaited solutions will be delivered on the ground. Following numerous meetings with politicians from all parties, including former Environment Minister Simon Coveney, who visited the flood-stricken area in January 2015, Ms Quinlivan told The Clare Champion that the minister is well aware of the devastation caused by flooding events in 2009 and 2015. “As one resident said to me ‘the time for talking is over, we need action’. I agreed with him totally. Engineers involved in drafting the …

Clare County Council has been requested by the Office of Public Works (OPW) to provide additional information, including photographic evidence of flooding in Springfield. The request was made in respect of the OPW’s ongoing review of the council’s request for funding approval. This development emerged in a week when the council was notified by the OPW of its decision to allocate €49,500 to undertake remediation  works on a 250m section of river embankment (Blackwater River). The council expects remediation works to commence during November. Weather permitting, it is hoped the works will be completed by the end of the year. The council has completed a procurement process and has identified a consultant who would carry out a focused feasibility study with a view to identifying a sustainable solution to the historic flooding issues at Springfield, Clonlara. As of June last, the council has been seeking funding approval from the OPW to appoint a consultant. It envisages that any flood prevention works approved ancillary …

THE de-zoning of almost nine acres of land land in Quin due to flooding concerns has a potential loss of between €2 million and €2.5m in land sales, a former councillor has claimed. Sonny Scanlon has previously received in the region of €1m for selling land at Madara, Quin, which facilitated the construction of 45 houses in a new housing estate. The former Fine Gael Councillor had planned to provide land to a prospective developer to build phased housing on land adjoining the existing residential estate. However, Mr Scanlon’s plans suffered a major set-back on Monday after councillors supported a recommendation from acting chief executive officer, Ger Dollard, to remove residential zoning from this site and amend the settlement boundary accordingly. According to Mr Scanlon, he had received two offers to purchase this land for €2m and €2.5m from different developers. In a submission to the planning authority by Project Design and Building Services on behalf of Mr Scanlon, it …

A total of €4.71 million in funding for the Ennis South Flood Relief Scheme has been approved by the Office of Public Works. The money will be made available to Clare County Council when it addresses some technical aspects of the scheme. The scheme will involve extensive flood alleviation work to the St Flannan’s and Ballybeg streams in the Clonroadmore, Ballybeg and Clareabbey areas of Ennis and Clarecastle. “There are some residual matters that require further consideration by the council and its consultants prior to implementation of the scheme. The offer of funding has been made on the basis that the council addresses and satisfies itself in relation to these matters prior to entering into any binding contractual commitments,” explained Clare TD, Joe Carey. Responding to a parliamentary question from Deputy Carey last month, Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohue acknowledged that discussions relating to technical aspects of the scheme had impacted on progress but he expected that the OPW would …

The stretch of waterway from Limerick city to Parteen Weir has been closed to navigation due to continuing infrastructural deficiencies as a result of the winter storms and subsequent flooding. The navigation remains closed and users are advised to stay clear of the damaged facilities in the area. Waterways Ireland has limited resources and has had to prioritise its interventions in those areas of greatest need and use. Following inspections of the floating breakwater and the waiting jetties a number of design solutions have been advanced to repair and re-instate the infrastructure. Works are commencing this week and it is expected that navigation in Limerick will be re-opened in three to four weeks.

THE new Government has been urged to put in place an accessible compensation package to enable residents in South-East Clare restore their flood-hit properties. A local Sinn Féin activist has also called on the new administration to ensure that insurance companies will not be allowed to abdicate their responsibilities by compensating householders who have the necessary policy in place and should continue to give them cover in the future. In a wide-ranging address to the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis on Saturday, Margaret O’Connor claimed several insurance companies are now refusing to cover people in entire regions because they are what has been described as “designated flood zones”, even though they have never been flooded or are never likely to be flooded. Prior to the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis, the East Clare cumann member spoke to members of the Quinlivan family in Springfield, Clonlara, who are only getting back on their feet with much work on their house still to be …