Public opposition to the proposed flood relief scheme for Cork, the largest flood relief investment project ever developed in Ireland with a budget of €140 million, is continuing.

The scheme has been developed by the Office of Public Works, the leading agency for flood risk management in Ireland in collaboration with Cork City Council.

However, the high-profile and well-organised public campaign by the Save Cork City (SCC) initiative, which has put forward an alternative solution to mitigate fluvial and coastal flood risks, shows no sign of let-up.  

Cork City has a long history of flooding - most recently in November 2009, February 2014 and in winter 2015/16 with significant damage estimated at over €130 million to commercial and residential property in Cork.

SCC set out its own solution in the report Potential Cork published in May 2017. The proposal consists of a tidal flood barrage to provide an alternative defence to tidal flooding downstream in Cork harbour and the use of existing reservoirs and catchment measures to address fluvial flood risk.

HR Wallingford, international experts in tidal barrier construction, were subsequently commissioned to provide a cost estimate for a tidal barrier which is the largest cost element of the alternative scheme.

The report Cork City Tidal Barrier - Cost Estimate published in November 2017 concluded that a tidal barrier for Cork City will provide tidal flood protection for the city without the need to provide and maintain flood defences in the urban area of Cork.

 In addition a tidal barrier “will protect more area of the city of Cork and more infrastructure from tidal flooding as it includes significant areas to the east of the walls proposal.” 

H.R. Wallingford has put the estimated cost of the barrier (2017 prices) at €140 million which contains a contingency of about €30 million. The report also suggests an uncertainty range of  €140 million to €170 million,  with an estimated annual maintenance cost of €1 million.

Save Cork City: barrier is a technically viable solution which can be economically built

Save Cork City is arguing that the barrier is a technically viable solution which can be economically built in the location proposed, where the water is relatively shallow.

According to SCC, the solution of a tidal barrier at Little Island is a new proposal which represents a lower environmental impact solution in comparison to two barriers mooted in an earlier report. The Lee Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management Study Final Report 2014 considered and rejected passages to the east and west of Great Island.  

SCC has proposed that the tidal barrier at Little Island would be constructed using simple, economic and tried and tested technology in the Potential Cork report. The proposal allows for sea level rise and can allow for a one metre or more rise in sea level on construction.

The report says:

“City’s Little Island barrier proposal is a viable and sustainable proposal. It allows for upstream catchment management measures to be introduced and established over time and represents a significantly faster flood relief result for the whole city than any other proposal.”

“Methods to slow the flow of rivers and store water upstream are becoming widespread and are being used on small and larger catchment areas in the UK and in the rest of Europe.”

Support for tidal barrier from influential outside experts

The SCC proposal has received independent support from a number of outside experts, including  Erik Kraaij, Flood Protection Deputy Director for the Dutch (National) Flood Protection Programme.

“The Save Cork City Solution document ‘Potential Cork’ provides a detailed framework for a viable and sustainable solution to flood relief in Cork. It represents a truly considerate opportunity for the city.’ Kraaij said.

The Netherlands approach to flood management carries a considerable amount of weight worldwide. Last year MPs in the House of Commons heard that water is a No. 1 priority for Holland and were told that the UK should consider adopting the same approach. A separate news story this morning highlights the efforts of the Netherlands to protect the country from increased flood risk due to the growing impacts of climate change.

Professor Robert Devoy, lead author, member and reviewer in the Nobel Prize winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report has separately said that the Save Cork City solution addresses the certainty of climate change and that a Walls Scheme for Cork does not do so.

First of two Public Information Sessions takes place today

The campaign is now encouraging the public to make submissions commenting on the first phase of the Scheme which was been submitted for planning by Cork City Council on 12th February 2018 as part of the €6 million Morrison’s Island Public Realm and Flood Defence Project.

The Council is holding the first of two open Public Information Sessions today between 3:00 -7:00pm at  Millennium Hall in Cork. The second will take place on Friday 9th March at the same time.

The planning application is now being flagged up as a key route by SCC for the public to raise objections to the start of the first phase – which has been described by the campaigners as a Trojan Horse.

Cork City Council’s planning report on the Morrison’s Island Project published on 12th February states:

“The Lower Lee scheme is a major Flood Relief Scheme for Cork City. Following receipt of public submissions, a detailed Exhibition Report together with a number of Supplementary Technical Reports were produced in response….These detailed reports confirm that the only currently viable solution to manage flood risk in Cork includes low-level, waterside flood defences.

“Given the synergies between both projects and in order to avoid multiple projects in a short timeframe, OPW and CCC have agreed to co-fund a project which combines the proposed public realm works with integrated flood defences.”

The Council said that subject to planning approval, it expects to appoint a contractor in the second half of the year.

The Office of Public Works is now getting ready to submit a separate planning application for the Lower Lee scheme following the Public Exhibition stage.

OPW rejects criticisms

In February last year the OPW issued a document defending its proposals and rejecting criticisms of the controversial scheme, which have been widely covered in the national press, commenting:

“Recent newspaper articles on the Office of Public Works' proposals for the Lower Lee flood relief scheme which is currently at Public Exhibition stage appear to have been prompted by a campaign being given voice on Facebook and Twitter on accounts called savecorkcity.”

OPW acknowledges barrage could effectively defend against tidal flooding – but “not economically feasible”

Commenting on the proposed tidal barrage, the OPW said:

“..In relation to the suggestion of a tidal barrage, it is acknowledged that a barrage downstream could effectively defend against the tidal flooding of Cork. However, at an estimated cost of at least €400 million this proposal is not economically feasible as the cost is far in excess of the value of benefits derived from avoidance of flood damages in Cork city.”

“..Furthermore, the proposed barrage would not deal at all with the fluvial problems that arise to the West of the city and in the South Channel so further costs would be incurred to alleviate these problems. In view of the above this option was not progressed.”

“The supplementary tidal barrier report which accompanied the Lower Lee (Cork City) Flood Relief Scheme Exhibition Report confirmed that a tidal barrier is not currently viable and will not become viable for approximately 50 years or more. This eventuality is so far in the future and the timing so uncertain that it should not unduly influence decision-making at this time.”

Climate change could put European cities “beyond breaking point” - Cork among cities predicted to be worst hit

However, this longer-term strategy on climate change already looks like it is being superseded by fast-moving events. A landmark research study published this week shows the impact of flooding, droughts and heatwaves by 2050-2100 will exceed previous predictions – and could put European cities “beyond breaking point”.

Using projections from all available climate models (associated with the high emission scenario which implies a 2.6°C to 4.8°C increase in global temperature), the team showed results for three possible futures which they called the low, medium and high impact scenarios.

The UK and the Irish republic have some of the worst overall flood projections. Even in the most optimistic scenario, 85% of UK cities with a river – including London – are predicted to face increased river flooding, while for the high scenario, half of UK cities could see at least a 50% increase on peak river flows. Cork is among the cities predicted to be worst hit under the high impact scenario.

Save Cork City has described the tidal barrier as “inevitable for Cork due to climate change.”

Deadline for submissions of comments on the Morrison’s Island Project is Monday, 9th April 2018. Click here for more information