Big milestone reached in Laois on Mountmellick flood defence

Light has appeared at the end of the tunnel in Mountmellick's long wait for flood walls and other defences against a repeat of devastating flooding that hit the Laois town nearly a decade ago.

Laois County Council, in partnership with the Office of Public Works, has this week taken two major steps towards the completion of the Mountmellick Flood Relief Scheme (FRS).

Some eight years since flood defences were promised for the Laois town following flooding that caused millions of euro in damage, the defence plans are finally being submitted to An Coimisiún Pleanála for permission to proceed with what would likely be a multi-million euro investment of public money.

Evidence that funding has been committed has emerged in the shape of an extensive Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) process initiated by Laois County Council.

In a public notice published in this week's Leinster Express, the Council has announced its intention to lodge the application for a project that it is clamed will protect over 160 properties that could be impacted by a 1 in 100 year flood. About 90 of these properties were hit by the November 2017 event, are set to be protected.

The Mountmellick FRS will comprise a series of walls and embankments along the Owenass, Clontygar, Pound and Garroon rivers, a surface water pumping station, the realignment of a length of the Clontygar, reconstruction of Owenass Bridge at the Four Roads, the provision of a demountable flood gate at Convent Bridge, the provision of eighteen culverts and the removal of vegetation.

There will be flood defence walls from Mill Bridge to Convent Bridge, and a pumping station in Irishtown. Walls beside the River Owenass will be half a km long and up to 3.8m tall.

A flood wall also extends along the rear of Grove Park, and downstream of Convent Bridge, beside a stream behind Davitt Road, from Owenass Bridge to Mill Bridge. There will be flood defence walls and embankments upstream of Owenass Bridge, which will be rebuilt to let more water pass.

More flood defence embankments are to be installed at Manor Road and Manor Court, and flood defence walls and embankments along the Garroon Stream. MORE BELOW PICTURE OF 2017 FLOOD.

Flooding on Patrick St in 2017.

A flood defence wall and embankment will be built near the Irishtown Garden Centre. and a reinforced concrete flood wall will circle three sides of an industrial site at the Bay Road Business Park.

During construction, temporary site compounds will be established.

The works will happen in the townlands of Townparks, Derrycloney, Ballycullenbeg, Acragar and Drinagh.

An Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) and a Natura Impact Statement (NIS) together with supporting documentation form part of the application.

Compulsory land purchases will be sought in a separate application, details of which are also published in this week's Leinster Express.

The plans are on view online at www.pleanala.ie and at Mountmellick Library and council offices from November 3 to December 15.

Any submissions by the public must be sent to An Coimisiún Pleanála along with a fee of €50.

In 2017, after surveying the damage, the then Minister of State for the Office of Public Works (OPW) and Flood Relief, Kevin 'Boxer' Moran had promised flood defences. He regained the role over the OPW this year and Laois County Council got approval by the OPW to seek planning.

The Mountmellick FRS is managed by a Technical Advisory Group that it made up of representatives from the OPW the Council  and the designers, JBA/Egis.

In a statement to the Leinster Express / Laois Live the council confirmed that, in partnership with and with the approval of the  OPW it was “pleased” to announce that the preliminary design of the Mountmellick FRS is complete.

As a result, it sais details of the would be lodged with An Coimisiún Pleanála on Tuesday, October 28.

“The Mountmellick FRS has been designed to provide a standard of protection that will prevent flooding of properties and assets, within the scheme area, for 1 in 100-year flood events. This is a very high standard of protection and in keeping with National Standards for the design of flood relief schemes,” said a statement. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Flooding in Derrycloney in 2012. Pic Denis Byrne

A document provided to county councillors in August this year said the financial investment in building the 100-year flood relief scheme is significant and so it must be readily adaptable to be able to respond to the impact of climate change on river flows and flood levels.

The team also informed councillors that the anticipated construction of the 100-year scheme will be completed over a four-year programme.

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It is also anticipated that the works required to remove the residual risks will start within that four-year programme and should be fully completed shortly thereafter.

An oral hearing was due to begin this week to advance the Clonaslee flood defence project while a linked scheme for Portarlington is also in the pipeline.