Laois County Council has taken the first major steps in building flood defences for Clonaslee in response to damage caused by a deluge in 2017.

Laois County Council has applied to An Bord Pleanála to build embankment walls and other defence infrastructure for the Clonaslee Flood Relief scheme promised after major flooding in November 2017. 

While it has not obtained planning permission for the project, the local authority has also initiated the Compulsory Purchase Order process to buy property needed to build the defences.

Just over a month after Minister of State Kevin Boxer Moran gave them the go-ahead, the local authority has signalled its intention to seek planning permission from An Bord Pleanála to proceed with the works.

While the green light to proceed could take some months to be given, the council has nevertheless also started the process of securing the property that will be required to build the flood defences via Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) notices.

The Council says Clonaslee has a history of flooding from the Clodiagh and Gorragh Rivers due to a combination of river bank overflow and blockage.

It says the work will be carried out along and in the vicinity of the River Clodiagh in Brittas, Bunastick, Clonaslee, Ballinakill and Brockagh. Embankments and walls are central elements.

A 145 m long, almost 1 m high flood defence embankment is planned to replace a section of the existing amenity pathway in Brittas Wood.

A 130 m long, almost 1 m high embankment is also planned along the Clodiagh River, northeast of Chapel St.

A concrete flood wall with a stone finish of 235 m in length and 1.2 m in height with a footpath is planned on Chapel St.

A similar 70 m wall of 0.6 m in height is planned on the eastern bank of the River Clodiagh within the grounds of Clonaslee’s Integrated Constructed Wetlands.

Other elements include a concrete culvert headwall for the existing culvert within Brittas Wood and a debris trap in the channel of the Clodiagh River along Brittas Wood.

An Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) has been prepared in respect of the proposed development. A Natura Impact Statement (NIS) has been prepared in respect of the proposed development.

Submissions can be made for six weeks from June 18 to July 30.

Meanwhile, the council has given notice to property owners of CPOs for the proposed flood relief scheme.

While Laois County Council already owns some of the public property needed, Offaly County Council, Coillte and Irish Water will also have to dispose of land to County Hall.

Sections of private property will also be impacted by the developments. These vary from fields to garden walls

The Scheme is one of three Laois flood relief schemes to avail of €45 million fund, including Mountmellick and Portarlington. The scheme is now costing five times its original estimate.

Designs for the scheme consists of the construction of flood defence walls, construction of embankments, installation of a debris trap and culvert upgrade along the Clodiagh River.

Last April, Kevin Moran TD, Minister of State for the Office of Public Works (OPW) announced OPW approval for the scheme. He gave the go-ahead to the Council to seek planning from An Bord Pleanála.

Pictured: Minister Kevin Boxer Moran in Irishtown Mountmellick in 2017.

In its public notice published in the Leinster Express / Laois Live the council says Clonaslee has a history of flooding from the Clodiagh and Gorragh Rivers, through a combination of river bank overflow and blockage.

Three food defence schemes planned for Laois were promised in the wake of the November 2017 event. A deluge and subsequent flooding caused varying degrees of damage in Clonaslee, Portarlington and Mountmellick.

Plans for the already delayed Mountmellick scheme are due to be submitted to An Bord Pleanála before the end of September this year.

The OPW also said a planning submission will be made to An Bord Pleanála before the end of 2025 subject to OPW’s approval of the council's application to proceed.

At a recent seating of the Dáíl, Independent Republican TD Brian Stanley questioned Minister Moran on the delays to the flood relief scheme.

"I welcome that money was approved recently for the Clonaslee scheme. The council has approval to go to planning with the OPW for that, and that is to be lodged with An Bord Pleanála very soon, but that could take a year and then a further three years to build," Deputy Stanley highlighted.

"The area was flooded in 2017. That would mean 12 years, assuming everything goes right, to complete the scheme. It is just too long,” he said.

He said the one message he was hearing from local authority officials in a number of counties is that the Department needs to give more decision-making powers to the county councils.

"There are executive engineers and senior executive engineers. They are all qualified people. Having archaeological reports, hydrology reports and environmental and ecology reports all going to An Bord Pleanála slows the process.

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The delays are causing risk of further flooding. People are terrified of further flooding and rising costs. Does the Minister of State remember Mountmellick being talked about? The figure for that was between €3 million and €4 million. We are now looking at €17 million as the current estimates are from €15 million to €17 million," said Dep Stanley. 

In response, Minister Moran replied that he intends to speed up processes.

“I intend to tour the country during the summer recess to try to speed up processes for better engagement in places where I think we can deliver on schemes," Minister Moran said.

"We have given local authorities up and down the country 50 engineers to drive forward and improve the delivery of schemes. This is not a silver bullet, but it gives local authorities the support they need to deliver on those important schemes," he finished.