Council ready to draw down €20m grants after almost eight-year delay

A city is poised to draw down more than €20m in government grants which have been withheld since the completion, eight years ago, of one of the biggest environmental engineering projects in the history of the State.

City manager Tim Lucey has confirmed his officials have submitted all the relevant claim forms required by the Department of the Environment to allow it process grants due for work done on the €200m Cork Main Drainage Scheme.

Mr Lucey said the value of the claims is between €23m and €24m, and that there are almost “daily discussions” with department officials on the matter. “I expect significant movement on this issue in 2013,” he said.