Hopes of an end to flooding dashed

HOPES of bringing an end to repeated flooding in a west Cork coastal town have been dashed.

Clonakilty faces a very uncertain future following yesterday’s decision to refuse planning permission for a €4.5 million tidal barrage in the bay.

Shocked town councillors will now have to go back to the drawing board, but hopes of salvaging the project are dim in the light of planned Government cuts.

In April, the town council applied for an extension to planning permission, originally granted in May 2003.

However, the local statutory body was advised by County Hall that the application would be refused.

It was intended that the 300-metre barrage would stretch between Gilman’s Point on Inchydoney Road and an approach road to Ring village.

A proposed feature of the tidal blockade was sluice gates which could be utilised at times of high risk flooding to keep tidal water out of the inner bay.

Humphrey Deegan, whose family own the town’s Imperial Hotel, said he was shocked by the news. The family property, he said, had fallen victim to tidal flooding on a number of occasions. “We’ve had four feet of water inside the hotel before. We get at least two scares every year and once every 10 years we get serious flooding. It’s not just water, it’s raw sewage.”

Peter Walsh, a local town councillor, said the only alternative was for the local authority to lodge a fresh planning application.

“That will potentially put the project back even further,” the Fine Gael member said. “It’s one of the most serious issues the town of Clonakilty faces. There are a lot of businesses and people in residential accommodation who are unable to get insurance because of it.”

Mr Walsh said the continued lack of proper government funding had held up the project and warned the economic downturn could further damage hopes of seeing a flood-free town.

“With the state of the public finances and global warming we have the potential to be in deep water,” Mr Walsh said.

It’s understood the county council sought legal advice on the application and decided it couldn’t grant an extension as the works done to date weren’t substantial enough. Town clerk Nicola Radley said officials had already begun preparatory works to resubmit an application as early as possible.