GAA club told to halt building wall over flood fears

A GAA club in Co Cork has been told to halt construction of a rock wall which could put neighbouring residential and retail properties at increased risk of flooding.

Cork County Council has directed Glanmire GAA Football Club to immediately stop building the embankment.

The club is anxious to prevent further flood debris damaging its pitches. However, the local authority fears the GAA works could put nearby homes and commercial properties at increased risk of flooding.

Over the past week the club has installed a boulder wall, felled a number of trees on the riverbank, and is removing up to a dozen fallen trees from the river.

No permission was obtained from Cork County Council, Inland Fisheries, or the National Parks and Wildlife Services for the flood prevention works.

County engineer Noel O’Keeffe yesterday said in the event of the Glashaboy river flooding, the GAA club’s new rock embankment could cause serious damage to properties upstream and downstream.

However, a spokesman for Glanmire GAA said that the 2ft-high rock armoury is just replacing a riverbank that collapsed in last June’s flooding.

“This is just routine maintenance. It is not a new development. This rock bank will not prevent water from coming into the pitch, it will, however, stop the type of debris that has ruined our pitches. Our children have had nowhere to train since last June. The pitch is covered in debris including grass and will have to be removed and replaced in its entirety,” he said.

The GAA club say they are “doing the community a service by removing the trees from the riverbed” and are entitled to do maintenance work on their own land.

However, Mr O’Keeffe said the rock wall could redirect water upstream and downstream.

“To just start building an embankment could have a nefarious effect on lands belonging to businesses and residences. The catchment area around the Glashaboy River is complex. It’s wooded in parts, it’s steep, and there are some bridges that are protected structures. We need to do the science on the area before we consider any anti-flooding works,” he said.

Last June, up to 60 houses were flooded in the Glanmire area when the Glashaboy River burst its banks. It is believed an estimated €5m is needed for flood relief works to prevent a repeat episode.

The council is seeking to hire consultants to complete a major study on the anti-flooding works required in the catchment area. A procurement notice is due to be sent to the European Journal of the European Community at the end of this week.

It could take another three or four months before the consultants will be selected and, furthermore, it could take up to six months to complete the report.

It is unlikely any construction would commence until 2014.

“We are not advocating any works in advance of this report,” said Mr O’Keeffe.

“It is a complex catchment. We need to do the science. The science in that area is complex. We want to remove trees from the riverbed there but we know we can’t do anything without contacting National Parks and Wildlife Services, Inland Fisheries Ireland, and the Forestry Commission first.

“You just can’t start doing your own flood works without consulting the relevant bodies.”