Go-ahead for €20m flood defence scheme in Blackpool 

Blackpool was hit hard by flooding three times in the space of just four years – in 2010, 2012 and again in 2013. Picture: Larry Cummins

The Minister for Public Expenditure gave formal consent on Thursday for a €20m flood defence scheme for Blackpool, near Cork city centre.

The proposed River Bride (Blackpool) Certified Drainage Scheme will include the construction of direct flood defences and river flow improvement measures along a stretch of the River Bride, which flows right through the heart of Blackpool village into the River Lee at Christy Ring Bridge, and on some of its tributaries.

The measures include the construction of several hundred metres of new flood walls and earthen embankments, a controversial plan to build new culverts and cover a section of the previously open river channel, as well as bridge replacements, the installation of sediment traps, modifications to existing foul and surface water collection networks in the area, and the construction of pumping stations.

The grant of consent triggers a 12-week period during which the scheme could be subject to a judicial review.

Blackpool was hit hard by flooding three times in the space of just four years – in 2010, 2012 and again in 2013.

The flash-flood of June 2012 was the worst flooding seen in the area for many years, with hundreds of homes and businesses affected.

The proposed River Bride (Blackpool) Certified Drainage Scheme will include the construction of direct flood defences and river flow improvement measures along a stretch of the River Bride. Picture: Denis Scannell

That flood incident highlighted the need for a flood defence scheme for the area, which was advanced as a separate scheme to the OPW's main Lower Lee, or Cork City Flood Defence Scheme.

Proposals for the Blackpool scheme went out for public consultation in 2015 and following a lengthy consultation and approval process, it has now been given formal approval by Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath.

Fine Gael TD for Cork North Central Colm Burke welcomed the news.

He said businesses in the area had suffered badly from flooding over the years and many can’t get flood insurance.

“There is a big residential population in the area too and Cork City Council is now building a number of residential units in the area,” he said.

All these people need certainty and security, free from the worry that every time there is heavy rain that they won’t be arriving into their home or a business premises full of floodwater.” 

He said the scheme had undergone a rigorous environmental assessment process and all  the experts had recommended a particular course of action.

“You have to weigh up all of the factors but all the experts involved and all of their studies favour the proposed scheme and it’s time now to get on with this,” he said.