'I hope people can survive' - Portarlington flood defences years away

Portarlington town on the Laois Offaly border will have to wait until 2028 before multi-million flood defences are fully finished.

Some 144 homes and businesses in Portarlington have been identified as needing protection from floods from the River Barrow. The project is expected to cost at least €5.6 million.

A local councillor is concerned at the long wait ahead, as design plans become public this month.

Cllr Aidan Mullins said he hopes people "can survive" in the meantime.

"It is a long time in the making. It was August 2020 when the study was commissioned. The timeline shows the handover to be complete in 2028. It's a long process. I hope it is successful," he said.

He said that measures taken by Laois County Council in recent years have worked so far.

"We have escaped this year so far, considering the heavy rain. The council did do work that seems successful. Spa Street has not flooded since, but with the rapid rains in recent years, I hope people can survive until the flood scheme is in place," Cllr Mullins said.

Leinster Express / Laois Live has seen a preview of two design options that will be shown to the local community, in a public information day on November 24.

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Both options involve building flood defence embankments and walls for the River Barrow with enlarged culvert drains, based on a 1 in 100 year flood risk. They are designed to protect 144 properties at risk, as well as key transport routes.

In Option A the walls and banks are higher, while Option B has lower defences but includes an attenuation wetland and widening of the river, with more "potential for environmental habitat creation and improvement".

The timeline plans that construction will start in 2025, lasting two years. Handover will start in summer 2026 and end in summer 2028.

The public can view them in detail and have their say on the open day in Portarlington Community Centre, from 2pm to 7pm.

The project is being undertaken as a joint venture by two engineering companies, Binnies and Nicholas O'Dwyer Ltd, commissioned by Laois and Offaly county councils, in partnership with the Office of Public Works who will fund the project.