Flood plan delay over possible conflict of interest

A potential conflict of interests has delayed a major flood defence plan for Cork, it emerged last night.

The Irish Examiner has learned that the preferred tenderer for the Lower Lee Flood Protection project, which was due to start almost a year ago and to include specific flood defence proposals for Blackpool, had to provide clarification to the Office of Public Works (OPW) after a potential conflict of interest situation arose.

The revelation comes ahead of today’s scheduled meeting between the minister in charge of the OPW, Brian Hayes, and a delegation from Blackpool, which was last week flooded for the second time in nine months. The delegation will demand that he fast-track the flood defence study and provide funding.