Badgers put kibosh on OPW’s plans
THE rehoming of local badgers is just one of multiple reasons the Office of Public Works has given for delays to the Dodder flood relief scheme.
Others included major flooding in October and November 2011 that collapsed 60 metres of wall at Marian College, and emergency repairs to the undermining of the Lansdowne Road rail bridge.
High tides, including the highest ever recorded in Dublin, on January 3, 2014, also hampered access to the river for several weeks. In 2014 and 2015, work could not be carried out in the Beatty’s Avenue area of Ballsbridge while students sat important exams in the nearby College of Further Education.
Problems with access and claims for compensation from landowners also delayed works, as did the fish spawning season.
In July 2015, the OPW was ready to build flooding embankments in the area near Merrion Cricket Club.
‘A traffic management plan had been developed with a view to importing the necessary material,’ according to a briefing document. ‘OPW had a source for this material, which is normally generated as a result of excavation activities elsewhere, and had completed embankments on the opposite bank in Donnybrook RFC.
‘An extensive network of badger setts was discovered and the matter was referred to the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
‘The time necessary to develop a plan and obtain the necessary licence left too short a window to carry out the work before the badger breeding season. Thanks to the badgers, the work had to be undertaken the following year.’