Cork City flood plan ‘undercosted by €76m’

Office of Public Works (OPW) plans for walls and embankments — controversial elements in its Cork city flood defence scheme — could cost €76m more than the agency’s published estimate, a report claims.

The OPW estimates the capital cost of the walls and embankments, including construction fees, land acquisition, site investigation, and survey costs, at just over €128.5m.

However, MCC Quantity Surveyors, which was engaged by campaign group Save Cork City (SCC) to review the costs of the largest flood defence project in the history of the State, says the OPW’s €49.4m ‘measured items’ costs for the walls alone have been “significantly underestimated” — by as much as 61%.