Concern that cost of Glanmire flood work could impact other Cork relief schemes

A Cork TD has expressed concern that a threefold increase in the cost of the Glanmire flood relief scheme, which is currently projected to be €38m, may have a knock-on impact upon other schemes.

In 2012, a severe flood caused tens of millions of euro worth of damage to 82 homes and 30 businesses in Glanmire and Sallybrook.

The Glashaboy flood relief scheme was designed by the Office of Public Works (OPW) to protect homes and businesses into the future, and had been signed off on by the then minister for public expenditure and reform, Michael McGrath, in January 2021, and went out to tender.

At the July 2 meeting of the Oireachtas select committee on finance and public expenditure, minister of state Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran — who is responsible for the OPW — was asked by Colm Burke, Fine Gael TD for Cork North Central, the scheme’s current projected cost.

When Mr Burke said the total cost was originally estimated at €12m, Mr Moran confirmed that the scheme is now projected to cost €38m.

Mr Burke told The Echo that it had been essential that the Glashaboy flood relief work was carried out.

“If this work was not carried out, people would continue to live in fear anytime there was heavy rainfall.

“Businesses in the area could not take the risk of investing and many would have been forced to move,” he said.

“This investment is considerable, but I believe with the growing population of Glanmire it was the right decision, and amendments that had to be made to the scheme were important to deal with all of the risks that existed.”

Reacting to the confirmation of the current cost, Cork East Sinn Féin TD Pat Buckley noted that the increase from the €12m estimate to €38m was very significant.

“I know that nobody waiting for flood relief schemes in East Cork would begrudge flood relief to anyone in Glanmire, but I would have a concern that cost overruns of this magnitude may affect future spending,” Mr Buckley said.

“My heart would go out to any victim of flooding, and the No 1 concern would be that it never happens again.

“However, there needs to be greater oversight of public expenditure.

“Politicians are audited by Sipo, and rightly so, so why can’t public expenditure be more tightly monitored?”

A spokesperson for the OPW said the scheme, when complete, “will provide flood protection to some 103 properties: 78 residential properties, and 25 commercial premises”.