*Photograph: Joe Buckley
SHANNON’s ongoing wait to have a flood relief scheme in place continues to leave homeowners unable to insure their properties.
In April, Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, Kevin Boxer Moran (IND) said the Shannon Flood Relief Scheme would be submitted to An Coimisiún Pleanála “at the end of 2025”.
Three months later, in response to a parliamentary question from Clare TD, Cathal Crowe (FF), he stated that it was now scheduled to be submitted for planning approval in the second quarter of next year.
In July 2020 OPW in partnership with Clare County Council appointed RPS to further assess the CFRAM Study identified options and prepare a detailed scheme for Shannon which is economically viable and environmentally sustainable. The entire scheme will be implemented in five different stages. The project remains in the first stage which commenced back in August 2020.
Speaking at the September meeting of the Shannon Municipal District, Cllr Pat O’Gorman (FF) voiced the frustration of elected members who have heard of reviews and briefings on the project but are seeing little progress. “It seems to be going on for everywhere, you said there will be this review and that review before another briefing, we’ve been briefed several times but the people of Shannon can’t insure their houses without flood relief in place. The faster we can get flood relief in place the better. There are houses built in Shannon for the last sixty years that have never had insurance for flooding, they have never been flooded but can’t get insurance”.
Shannon based Cllr Tony Mulcahy (FG) said all elected members have “a huge difficulty with people not being able to buy a house without flood cover”. He was aware of transactions to acquire properties not taking place because banks are longer giving the cover which prompted him to urge the local authority to tell the banks and insurance companies that they are maintaining seventeen pumps a day in the town to pump water back out to the river. “The risk of Shannon flooding is only during Storm Éowyn or something, we all know we’re on reclaimed land, the pumps were put in for good reason but we need to explain it more to the banks and insurance companies”.
Data on flood records must also be showcased as part of the argument, Cllr Michael Begley (IND) stressed. “I don’t see why the best parts of it can’t be used to get some land zoned for housing in Shannon because of the difficulties for companies coming in here where their staff can’t get a house in Shannon”.
Further growth of the Shannon Free Zone will only happen with more housing, Cllr Rachel Hartigan (FF) stressed. “We want the Industrial Estate to grow and we need more housing for that, companies are choosing not to come here because of the housing situation”.
Locally there are “fears it could sterilise the whole housing market in the town,” Cllr David Griffin (FF) commented. “Flooding a major problem, in Sixmilebridge we can’t get insurance either, if you ask for it they will only laugh at you, it is a very big problem,” stated Cllr John Crowe (FG).
Director of Service, Alan Farrell told the meeting, “It is recognised that the flood relief scheme is hugely important for Shannon town and the area. It does move but people consider it to be slowly and that is a fair comment. We’re in a fairly sensitive area from an ecological area. The team within Clare County Council and consultants and working with OPW are as eager, we’re looking at every avenue to try shorten that”.
He continued, “we are looking to try move it on as quickly as we can, the unfortunate piece is it does take time”. He said, “I can give a commitment that we will look to keep driving it, we will endeavour to move it as quick as we can, there’s options in the construction phase that it can be done over a number of seasons, linking in with technical, legal and ecological advisors, it is critical that it gets through consent process with An Bord Pleanála, we have to be thorough with process, we want to make it as water-tight as possible”.
