'Love the Lee': UCC students demonstrate against Cork's proposed flood defence scheme

Cork students took to Parliament Bridge on Monday morning to campaign against the commencement of the Lower Lee Flood Relief Scheme.

Over 60 members of the UCC Architecture Society, among other students, lined the bridge at 10am with placards encouraging passers-by and morning commuters to ‘Love the Lee’.

Explaining why they were out campaigning this morning was fourth-year UCC architecture student and event organiser, Conor Ryan: “As students, it came to our attention how severe and detrimental this walls scheme will be for the city and how little people know about it.” 

“My classmate and I, are completing our final year project on a similar topic. We conducted interviews with Cork residents and asked them what they thought of the proposed plans for the wall schemes. We were shocked at how many people don’t actually know about it and when we showed them the plans they were against the scheme.” 

 The protesting students aimed to highlight the current plans to wall off sections of the Lee to the people of Cork.

The Lower Lee Flood Relief Scheme was brought in under the Office of Public Work’s and will run from Inniscarra Dam to the City Centre, with the aim of protecting over 2,100 properties, including 900 homes and 1,200 businesses, against tidal and river flooding by walling off sections of the River Lee along the quays.

However, the UCC architecture student, Conor Ryan believes this scheme proposed by the Office of Public Work’s will only further Cork’s flooding issues.

“This is a ten-year outdated plan. It’s a generic plan that’s not specific to Cork. Cork is built on a marsh land and the main reason for floods like yesterday’s is tidal flooding where the water comes up through the ground and not from the quayside,” Ryan said.

Speaking on the rampant flooding that overtook the city last night, the student said: “Yesterday, the North Mall quay was like a waterfall. Imagine if there were giant concrete walls built around it, you could only imagine that this would make the flooding issue in the city worse.” 

“This plan doesn’t have any longevity. They may as well be throwing the €295 million needed for the plan into the river because all it will do is banish any hopes of being able to utilise the cities quaysides in the future.” The ‘Save Cork City’ group have been actively campaigning to stop the continuation of this project.

The group has proposed a number of alternative ways to help Cork’s flooding problem including the creation of a tidal barrier in Little Island.

‘Save Cork City’ has said: “The historic quays are part of our city. Love the Lee, not the walls.” 

Student Conor Ryan said he and his fellow classmates stand with the organisation and hope their message to save the quays will be heard.

Members of the ‘Save Cork City’ group will take to the Supreme Court this Wednesday to appeal for a better solution to be found for providing Cork with flood defences that will not harm the history of the city.