Galway town flood plan continues to stall before planning stage – ‘Nerves are shattered’
A progress update on the Clifden Flood Relief Scheme came to Galway County Hall this week as the Office of Public Works waits for the second public information day to venture into Stage 2 – four years since the project began.
In 2021, Jacobs Engineering Ireland (JEI) consulting engineers were appointed to this project with an estimated cost of €5 million to complete. In addition, the OPW granted Galway County Council €530,000 to date for Stage 1 of the project.
Five stages are planned for the works to be completed, but the project is still on Stage 1.
At a recent municipal district meeting, Connemara councillor Eileen Mannion expressed concern about the length of time this project has been in process saying residents’ “nerves are shattered”.
“It’s still a long way off from delivering comfort to people who live there,” she added turning towards the human element of this issue.
In response, executive engineer Brendan McDonagh confirmed that feedback given to the local authority is relayed back to OPW to take into consideration.
Timelines established in the project brief stated the first stage would take 18 months however, four years after the introduction of the project Stage 2 has yet to come.
“It is becoming clear four years later that the timelines are vastly underestimated,” Mr McDonagh said chalking up the delay to the assessments and processing that takes place.
The remaining item for the completion of Stage 1 is a second public consultation. Once that is complete, the project will be cleared to move into the planning stage.
“As frustrating as it is, the longer we stay in Stage 1 to get it fully assessed, the greater the project will be down the line.” Mr McDonagh added.
At this time the OPW and Galway County Council are analysing the linear defence option put forward by the designers, which is still considered the best option as “viable, socially acceptable, and economically sustainable”.
If approved to move forward, the second public consultation day will commence where risks are presented to stakeholders and the public. Participants can provide feedback on the linear defence option.