'This will give people confidence to work on their homes': Flood relief works begin in Glanmire estate 

WORKS have commenced on temporary flood abatement measures at a Glanmire housing estate where residents suffered devastating flood damage as a result of Storm Babet.

A Cork City Council spokesperson confirmed that engineers from the Glashaboy Flood Relief Scheme met with representatives of Copper Valley Vue Residents Association “to discuss and agree additional interim protections at Copper Valley Vue pending completion of the approved flood defence works in that area”.

The spokesperson confirmed that the construction/installation of these additional interim measures will include a raised ramp at the entrance to Copper Valley Vue and temporary flood defence barriers within the estate.

“Cork City Council has been liaising with the OPW and has secured funding to cover the cost of these additional works,” the spokesperson added.

The residents of Copper Valley Vue met the city council engineer in recent days to discuss the measures and works commenced on Friday.

Relief 

Ronan McCarthy of the Copper Valley Vue Residents Association expressed relief that the measures would be put in place.

“These would be much more solid than anything that we were planning on buying or doing — this will give people confidence to go about working on their homes.”

It is expected that the works will take 10 days to complete which means they should be finished before Christmas.

While this will be a relief for residents, it still leaves them with huge challenges to get their homes back to the state they were in before the floods hit.

Estimates by experts have put the cost of the damage done by the floods to 21 homes in Copper Valley Vue at more than €1.3m.

So frustrated were the residents with what they described as the “slow response” of the authorities to their appeals for the bringing forward of a flood relief scheme, due to start in their area of Glanmire in July 2025, and the installation in the meantime of temporary flood mitigation measures, they recently set up an online fundraiser to install a short-term flood barrier which would provide some protection to their homes from future floods.

This had raised more than €6,000 towards their goal of €10,000 by the time the council assured them they would be installing the temporary flood mitigation measures.

Works 

While a flood relief scheme is being built in Glanmire at present, work to protect Copper Valley Vue was not scheduled to begin until July 2025.

This has been brought forward 12 months following meetings with the contractor.

Due to planning regulations, permission must be sought to bring it forward to the beginning of 2024, the preferred starting date of the Copper Valley Vue residents, as the river is a spawning ground.

A spokesman for Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) said the Glashaboy was an important “sea trout and salmonid” river.

“IFI works closely with local authorities, their representatives, and contractors on any works that may impact river habitats.

“IFI has engaged with the OPW and Sorensen Civil Engineering Ltd, contractor for the works, in advance and throughout this significant Flood Relief Scheme, which is being carried out under the Arterial Drainage Acts 1945 and 1995.

“An instream works season runs from July to September to avoid disturbing spawning beds and fry of salmon, trout or eels, protected under the Fisheries (Consolidation) Act 1959, during the highly sensitive period of October to June.

“In relation to the Glashaboy River (Glanmire/Sallybrook) Drainage Scheme, IFI facilitated the OPW to continue with instream works at the Cúl Chluthair section into October this year, as works were delayed by adverse weather conditions.”