Flood minister hits out at planning system where 'every Tom, Dick and Harry' can object

Patrick O’Donovan asked: “Are we going to continue to pretend that the current system works or are we going to say no, you need to prove a connection to a place in Ireland to object?"

(Left to right) At the unveiling of a plaque to mark the completion of the Douglas Flood Relief Scheme in Cork is Jim Casey, OPW, head of Flood Risk Management; Ann Doherty, chief executive of Cork City Council; Michael McGrath, Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform; Cork Lord Mayor Cllr. Deirdre Forde, Patrick O'Donovan, Minister of State for the OPW, and Simon Coveney, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence. Picture: Denis Minihane

The minister with responsibility for flood defence says he had no problem funding schemes – the problem is a planning system from a bygone era that allows every Tom, Dick and Harry to object for just €20.

Patrick O’Donovan was speaking in Cork on Monday where he attended a ceremony to mark the completion of the Douglas flood relief scheme a decade after the suburb's town centre was swamped in a devastating flood.