*Michael Hillery & Christy Curtin. Photograph: Eamon Ward
An estimated €500,000 is required for an upgrade of the culvert and drainage in Miltown Malbay which intends to prevent future flooding in the area.
A section 50 application has been submitted by Clare County Council to the Office of Public Works (OPW) for the upgrading of the existing culvert and drainage works at Church St in Miltown Malbay with planning permission already secured.
Steve Lahiffe informed the May meeting of the West Clare Municipal District that the OPW have responded to their submission where they “sought additional information that involves considerable additional modelling to investigate the implications of the works upstream and downstream of the proposal. They have a number of additional requests for information, we are ready to submit the additional information”.
The acting senior executive engineer added, “The works can go to tender to appoint a contractor when the OPW grant the section 50 application and allocate funding for the development which is in the order of €500k”.
Fianna Fáil’s Michael Hillery who appealed for an update at the meeting stated, “Flooding has happened a number of times at Church St in the past. The application is going on a long time and this is a necessary upgrade of the culvert. Pipes were installed five or six years ago which helped the situation but it’s not adequate”.
His sentiments were reiterated by Independent Christy Curtin. “It is ongoing since 2015”, Curtin praised Steve Lahiffe who “has worked tirelessly on this”. “It is time the OPW got off their heels and got this culvert in”.
