Letter to the Editor: Flood scheme concealed in docklands road plans
It is with regret that we at Save Cork City have had to object to the Cork Docklands to City Centre RoadNetwork Improvement Scheme (CDCCRNIS) on the grounds that it unnecessarily is a flood defence project based on and within the Lower Lee Flood Relief Scheme (LLFRS) and very seriously that this fact has been largely concealed from the public and city councillors in aPart 8 consultation process.
The LLFRS cannot be achieved by building parts of it randomly across the city and the incorporation of flood defence under the LLFRS — including the concealment of the fact from the public — warrants investigation.
Choosing the complexity of incorporating flood defence within the Albert Quay public realm project is a decision that has led consideration of the project directly into the realms of the overall LLFRS scheme and this decision is regrettable and should be questioned.
The LLFRS is a contentious proposal for Cork that is still under question.
The Part 8 process for Morrison’sIsland led to a High Court case that meant the withdrawing of the proposal and significant costs for the city.
The very same process and the same questions become appropriate when the same action is taken which presents public realm and flood defence works together.
We have to ask why this approach that has failed before has been taken again on a project that is potentially so important to the city and might jeopardise significant funding?
The judgment of this decision and the motivation around it can be questioned.
Additionally, it is greatly significant that choices were made to omit reference to flood defence from Part 8 presented to the public which has led to misleading people within the process.
This is a grave omission.
It is important to note that the project is not in conjunction with the OPW (it is part of the LLFRS but forms part of the final proposals) and as such the decision to incorporate flood defence lies solely with the city administration.
We ask that councillors vote against the proposal in its current form.Reasonable (or ingenious) adaptation of the designs could be agreed and the scheme could proceed.
If the flood defence is (regrettably) proposed to remain, the scheme could be presented under a different process with a clear and fair description of the works presented openly to the public.
Our submission to the Part 8 process is attached here and raises many issues which we believe have not been dealt with as they deserve.
We wish to thank all Cork City councillors for your support and engagement with us and hope that you agree that this scheme as presented currently should not proceed.
