Save Cork City campaigners 'open to talks' as Taoiseach calls for legal challenge to be dropped
Staff clean up in Zizenia Barbers during Tuesday's flooding. Picture: Daragh Mc Sweeney/Provision
The campaign group, Save Cork City (SCC), says it is always open to discussion after the Taoiseach called on the group to pull the plug on their legal challenge to a key flood defence project.
SCC has mounted a legal challenge against An Bord Pleanála’s decision to grant planning for the Morrison’s Island public realm scheme with blended flood defences which has been designed to remove 80% of the flood risk to Cork city centre.
The authorities insist the scheme would have prevented the tidal flooding which swamped up to 100 premises in around the Oliver Plunkett St area on Tuesday morning.
Amid mounting calls for SCC to withdraw its legal challenge to this key flood defence project, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said it is time to progress the city’s flood defences.
"I would hope that the issues around the judicial review and those involved may reflect on this and some mediation could take place to effect the removal of the roadblocks to the development of that flood relief scheme," he said.
"I do think we need to engage with all to see can we get people to pull back from where we are right now to enable the works to commence.
On the wider Lower Lee flood relief scheme, he said a lot of changes have been made over the years.
“Adjustments were made. It is necessary and I appeal to those to reflect and pull back,” he said.
But in a statement later, SCC declined to comment on whether or not it has decided to withdraw its application for a judicial review of the Morrison’s Island scheme.
It noted the Toaiseach’s comments and said they would be happy to meet him to discuss the issues.
“The Taoiseach has called for mediation on the issue. We would gladly meet him. He cares deeply for Cork as we do and we believe he wants the right kind of protection for people and wants to listen to people and not to harm them, their environment, their investments or their well being,” it said.
Very high water from tidal surge in Cork this morning flooding the centre of town. Our sympathies to everyone affected.
— Save Cork City (@savecorkcity) October 20, 2020
We have a part to play. We have failed to get @corkcitycouncil or @opwireland to engage on the issue of flood protection in #Cork pic.twitter.com/zGgb556fAa
“The first thing we would like to discuss is how to get temporary protection in place for flood prevention now and give people security.
“We have previously asked City Hall for this, with no response.”
SCC wants a tidal barrier built downstream to protect more of the city.
Their Little Island proposal has been ruled out on cost, engineering and ecological grounds, with the OPW insisting that a tidal barrier is not required for at least 30 years, and that even if one is deemed necessary later, some element of direct flood defences in the city centre would also be required.
