€1.75m in emergency funding will protect Wexford coastline as residents prepare for another winter of heavy storms
Wexford PeopleUp to €1.75m is to be spent on coastal protection works in Wexford as the county braces itself for another winter of heavy storms. The money will be used to install rock revetments at Kelly’s Hotel in Rosslare Strand and on a coastal protection scheme at Kilpatrick Beach.
Minister for the Office of Public Works (OPW) Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran visited both sites at the weekend as he confirmed that funding would be made available to protect two parts of Co Wexford which have suffered rapid erosion in recent years.
Coastal protection works 200 metres in length, with an estimated cost of €750,000, will be carried out at Kelly’s Hotel this winter with a completion date of spring 2027. The works will tie in with the longer-term Rosslare Strand Coastal Protection and Flood Relief Scheme which is expected to be completed by 2031.
Wexford County Council (WCC) is also to receive funding of around €1m for urgent works at Kilpatrick Beach in north Wexford where 80m of rock armour will facilitate a new access point for residents.
Councillor Lisa McDonald, Cathaoirleach of WCC welcomed the funding.
“The soft sandy coastline of Co Wexford is one of the most vulnerable in the country and erosion has had a devastating impact on local communities,” she said. “These works will bring relief to the weary communities in Rosslare Strand and Kilpatrick that have endured significant coastal erosion close to their homes for many years, and it will help bring stability to these areas.”
Chief Executive of WCC, Eddie Taaffe, expressed his gratitude to Minister Moran and said that coastal erosion and storm surges emphasise the “reality of climate change and the dramatic effects it is having along the Wexford coastline”.
Minister Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran at Roslare harbour. Photo; Mary Browne
19/9/20206 Minister Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran photographed at Ballyhealy. Photo; Mary Browne
Minister Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran with Sally Ann Colbert in Kilpatrick. Photo; Mary Browne
Minister Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran at Sally Ann Colbert's house in Kilpatrick. Photo; Mary Browne
Mr Taaffe said that WCC will continue to work closely with the OPW, elected members and local communities to identify vulnerable areas which require coastal protection works and continue to develop schemes to protect these areas.
Cllr Joe Sullivan has been assisting residents in Kilpatrick for a number of years and said these works will enable families to safely access their properties during high tide.
“One of the residents there, Sally Anne Colbert, really took on this issue and worked very hard on it,” he said. “I brought it to our director of services, Eamonn Hore, who subsequently discussed it with Minister Moran Boxer and he has duly delivered on it for the people of the area.”