Flood scheme delayed again
NECESSARY APPROVAL WILL TAKE SIX TO 12 MONTHS
MINISTERIAL approval for the Enniscorthy Flood Defence scheme is unlikely to happen for between six and 12 months, and according to a senior official in the local authority it’s not expected to occur until early in the New Year.
Senior Executive Engineer Larry McHale relayed the news to the members of Enniscorthy Municipal District Council at this month’s meeting saying it’s unlikely the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform will consent to the scheme before the end of the year.
‘It usually takes six to 12 months so I would not expect approval of the scheme until early next year,’ said Mr McHale.
In a report presented to the members he said the documents required for approval relating to the scheme were submitted to the minister’s department in March.
The councillors were united in their disappointment at the news and it was decided to write to the minister to outline their concerns and to request that a delegation meet with the minister if the response to the letter is not satisfactory.
THE PEOPLE OF THE TOWN HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR TOO LONG... WE ARE WAITING FOR THE MINISTER TO SIGN OFF ON SOMETHING THAT WAS PASSED IN 2011 AND THAT IS A DISGRACE
MINISTERIAL approval for the Enniscorthy Flood Defence scheme is unlikely to happen for between six and 12 months and, according to a senior official with the local authority, it’s not expected to occur until early in the new year.
Senior Executive Engineer Larry McHale relayed the news to the members of Enniscorthy Municipal District Council at their recent meeting and he said it’s unlikely the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform will consent to the scheme before the end of this year.
‘It usually takes six to 12 months so I would not expect approval of the scheme until early next year,’ said Mr McHale.
In a report presented to the members, he said the documents required for ministerial approval relating to the scheme were submitted to the minister’s department in March.
Archaeological investigations relating to the project are ongoing and Mr McHale said a focus on advance preparation works ahead of the main construction will also take place as ministerial approval is awaited.
The project, which will take three years to complete, was expected to begin this year and the news that the start date will now likely be in 2021 was met with much disappointment by the members of the local authority.
The district Cathaoirleach, Cllr Kathleen Codd-Nolan, said she was very disappointed to hear the news.
‘ That means it will be right through the winter again when there could be more flooding anyway,’ she said.
‘ That is really disappointing,’ she added.
Highlighting it was a complex process, Mr McHale said he expected it will take six to 12 months but added: ‘If we get it [approval] earlier than that, we will start earlier.’
‘It has taken up to 12 months for larger schemes in the past and this is the largest in the country,’ he added.
Cllr Codd-Nolan thanked Mr McHale for all his hard work on the project.
Her sentiments were echoed by Cllr Jackser Owens who also thanked Mr McHale for his efforts. However, like the cathaoirleach he also expressed concern: ‘I am disappointed that it has to go to the minister still to sign off on it.’
‘ This is big news for our town and people,’ he said.
‘ To wait for the minister to sign off on something that was talked about in 2011, is very disappointing,’ he added.
Cllr Owens also acknowledged that the delay had nothing to do with Mr McHale.
‘I am asking for the council to write to the minister because the people of the town have been waiting for too long,’ said Cllr Owens.
‘We are waiting for the minister to sign off on something that was passed in 2011 and that is a disgrace,’ he added.
He also referred to the matter as being akin to ‘ the stroke of a pen’, however, Mr McHale said the process was much more complicated than that.
‘ The ecological experts have to ensure the scheme complies and that it represents value-for-money,’ said Mr McHale.
Cllr Aidan Browne also said he was disappointed to hear the project has been delayed and asked if a letter could be written to stress how important the project is to the town.
‘I am 38 and this has been going on since I was a child,’ he said.
Cllr Cathal Byrne said it was important that the local authority write to the minister about the matter and that a delegation from the council meet with him to ‘ highlight the difficulties’.
‘It falls on us to highlight how vital it is that we get the project over the line,’ he said.
Commenting that the county now has three Oireachtas members, Cllr Byrne said cross-party unity was needed on the project.
‘I would welcome any support the councillors can give,’ said Mr McHale.
Cllr Barbara-Anne Murphy said the project was very complex but highlighted that ‘Minister Boxer Moran said last year that money was ring-fenced’ for the project.
However, she added: ‘We need to make sure that it’s still there because Enniscorthy has to have it.’
Cllr John O’Rourke concurred with his colleagues’ views.
‘ The last flood we had in Enniscorthy we had all of the top brass down in their wellies but they were able to drive away,’ he said.
‘We had two junior ministers at the last cabinet table and they are still there and if those two couldn’t put pressure on the minister then we should just throw our hat at it,’ he said.
Cllr Jackser Owens then proposed that the council write to the minister and suggested a delegation meet with him if possible.
Cllr Browne seconded the proposal, however, Cllr Codd-Nolan suggested the council waits until the foundation of the new Government.
‘I would suggest we wait until the new Government is formed and then write to whoever is the minister,’ she said.
However, Cllr Cathal Byrne proposed that the council writes to the [current] minister and ‘see what he says back’.
‘However, I would be happy to meet [him] if we are not happy with it [the reply],’ he added.
Cllr Murphy then said: ‘I would second Cllr Byrne because he [Boxer Moran] will definitely not be the minister because he didn’t get re-elected.’
The proposal of writing to the minister and then seeking a delegation if the response is not satisfactory was then put to the members with Cllrs Jackser Owens, Aidan Browne and John O’Rourke voting against and Cllrs Cathal Byrne, Barbara-Anne Murphy and Kathleen Codd-Nolan voting in favour.
With the matter tied Cllr Codd-Nolan then used her casting vote as Cathaoirleach to pass the proposal.