Ballinhassig locals take flood defence into their own hands after council delays

Residents of Tulligbeg watched contractors put the finishing touches to their own flood defence scheme this morning, where work started on site just last Monday

Repro Free: Ballinhassig cork 18/12/23: XX Eoin English. Devastated by Flood, United by Mud. Residents of Ballinhassig stand together in front of an embankment they were forced to build themselves. Picture: Chani Anderson

Consultants have finally been appointed to design a flood relief scheme to protect eight homes near Cork City where residents marked the completion today of their own flood defences — built and paid for by the community in just over a week.

The Office of Public Works (OPW) and Cork County Council announced on Monday that contracts have been signed with Malachy Walsh and Partners for the first stage in a five-stage process to develop a flood relief scheme to protect the eight residential properties on the banks of the Owenabue river near Ballinhassig village.

The homes were swamped during Storm Babet in October — their third devastating flood since 2009.

The appointment of consultants to design the flood relief scheme was delayed earlier this year when the OPW said the submitted tenders failed to offer “a value for money proposal”, and the contract was retendered.

News of the contract signings emerged this morning as the residents of Tulligbeg watched contractors put the finishing touches to their own flood defence scheme, where work started on site just last Monday.

Contractors have built a 250-metre long six-foot high clay bank in a horseshoe-shape. Picture: Chani Anderson

In that time, the contractors have built a 250-metre long six-foot high clay bank in a horseshoe-shape, which runs along the back of the homes and wraps around either end of the row of houses.

It was built with funds raised by the local community. 

The contractors were given permission by two landowners on either side of the row of houses to access their lands, to complete the work.

The residents this morning thanked the community for raising over €16,000 for the work, the landowners, the Rice and Dennehy families, for allowing part of the embankment to be built on their land, and the contractors for doing the work so quickly.

Derry Finn, who has lived in the area for 73 years, said Storm Babet was the final straw for him and his neighbours.

“We had enough. We can’t take anymore. Denny put in a new kitchen three months ago, and that’s gone,” he said.

Denny, who has lived in the area for 71 years, said they couldn’t wait any longer for the state to deliver flood defences.

“We just can’t take anymore,” he said.

Denis McCarthy, chairman of Ballinhassig Village Association, which spearheaded the fundraising, said he hopes what's been achieved here will inspire other flood-prone communities to take a stand too while they wait for the state to deliver flood defences.