Bantry people 'sick and tired' waiting for flood relief works to begin, council told

Flooding in Bantry last month. Picture: Andy Gibson

The people of Bantry are "sick and tired" of waiting for flood relief measures and want to know when works on the proposed flood relief scheme and culvert works will take place, council officials have been told.

The issue was raised by Independent Ireland councillor Danny Collins, who said the most recent flooding to hit Bantry happened on November 4 — the seventh such flood to hit the west Cork town in five years. 

He told a meeting of Cork County Council’s Western Division that while there was a proposed flood relief scheme, "we are being told it won’t start until at least 2031/2032". He also sought an update on proposed culvert works. 

 “According to reports done by Malachy Walsh & Partners engineers in 2018, more than 500m of the town’s 950m of culverts were in urgent need of repair.  Now, seven years later, the people of Bantry deserve to know when are these works going to start," Mr Collins said. “They are sick and tired of hearing this year and that year."

Council engineer Catherine Murphy said Cork County Council, in partnership with the Office of Public Works, was actively advancing plans to upgrade the existing culvert running through Wolfe Tone Square, New Street, and Bridge Street in Bantry.

She said the part 8 report was approved in February of this year, and in October the council completed the procurement process for technical advisers.

Based on information provided during the technical adviser tender process, Ms Murphy said a feasibility study was expected to be completed in two months. Detailed design had an estimate timeframe of 12 months and following that, procurement and contracting was estimated to take four months. 

Construction was then anticipated to start in quarter two of 2027.

Ms Murphy said: “This is a very challenging project, not least as major engineering works are being undertaken on a live culvert which carries heavy river flows in addition to surface water drainage, is subject to tidal forces, and is located in busy commercial area where businesses need to remain operational.

As with any construction project, but particularly one of this nature, factors as yet unforeseen may impact the current planned programmed delivery.

Independent Ireland councillor John Collins proposed Bantry should get a flood warning system similar to one that previously operated in Bandon as an interim measure while the town waits for the flood relief scheme.

Mr Collins said a system was previously in place in Bandon before flood relief works were competed that provided information for residents and businesses by text message when flooding was expected. The Bandon Flood Early Warning System used river sensors and sent SMS alerts when river levels reached a certain threshold.

Fine Gael councillor Caroline Cronin said “something needs to be done” as there could be 10 or 12 more floods in Bantry before relief works were in place. Independent councillor Finbarr Harrington said the constant worry for people in Bantry about flooding was “mentally draining”, and such a system could help alleviate some of the stress.

Ms Murphy told the meeting: “The development of an early flood warning system for Bantry is challenging due to the nature of the catchment, which is steeply sloping and prone to rapid onset of flooding.

Bantry is also vulnerable to flooding from rainfall, coastal and river flooding.

She said Cork County Council would engage with the Office of Public Works and Met Éireann to review the existing gauging infrastructure within the catchment and identify if additional stations would allow for the development of a meaningful flood warning system to predict flood events and issue timely alerts.

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Ms Murphy added: “A number of properties in Bantry have received flood barriers from Cork County Council, through funding provided by OPW. 

"Cork County Council would recommend that any property owners who have flood barriers take a precautionary approach and install these any evening where Met Éireann is predicting significant rainfall during the autumn and winter months, in particular if tide levels are high.”