To establish those communities that are at risk from significant flood events, the OPW completed the largest study of flood risk ever undertaken by the State in 2018. The OPW Catchment-based Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme was undertaken by engineering consultants on behalf of the OPW, working in partnership with the local authorities. The CFRAM Programme studied 80% of Ireland’s primary flood risk and identified solutions that can protect over 95% of that risk.
A series of 29 Flood Risk Management Plans were launched in May 2018 by the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works and An Taoiseach, providing the evidence base for some 150 new and additional flood relief schemes. These plans are available on www.floodinfo.ie.
The Government has committed €715 million to the delivery of these flood relief schemes under the National Development Plan, 2026 to 2030. Total expenditure on Flood Risk Management for the years 2018 to 2025 inclusive is approximately €535m. Since 2018, as part of a phased approach to scheme delivery, this funding has allowed the OPW to treble the number of flood relief schemes at design, planning, or construction to some 100 schemes. Today, work to protect 80% of all at-risk properties nationally is completed or underway.
The first tranche of new schemes identified in the Flood Risk Management Plans includes some 60 schemes that were prioritised, along with schemes already underway. The prioritisation of the first tranche of schemes was based on three criteria: scale of projects, capacity to deliver a national programme, and maximising return for investment by reference to property numbers.
Flood relief schemes are complex multiannual civil engineering projects. The stages and rigour adopted by the OPW to completing a scheme takes, by its nature, some 11 years to date to bring a scheme through development, planning, design, procurement and construction.
OPW-funded flood relief schemes are implemented in five stages, as follows:
• Stage 1: Scheme Development and Preliminary Design
• Stage 2: Planning Process or Public Exhibition / Confirmation
• Stage 3: Detailed Design
• Stage 4: Implementation/Construction
• Stage 5: Handover of Works.
The average timeline for flood relief schemes from Stage 1: Scheme Development and Preliminary Design to the beginning of Stage 4: Implementation/Construction is 84 months. Note that this timeline is an average and is indicative only and will vary significantly from project to project.
The current position with regard to flood relief schemes is as follows:
• The OPW has invested some €580m in 56 completed schemes that are providing protection to some 13,580 properties and an economic benefit to the State in damages and losses avoided estimated to be in the region of €2 billion;
• There are currently 10 schemes at construction/implementation (Stage 4). These 10 flood relief schemes will protect over 2,800 properties upon completion;
• There are 5 schemes at Detailed Design/Works Procurement Stage (Stage 3);
• There are 10 schemes at, or progressing towards, Planning/Development Consent Stage (Stage 2);
• There are 69 schemes at Scheme Development and Preliminary Design (Stage 1) or Preliminary Business Case; and
• There are 54 Tranche 2 schemes that were identified in the Flood Risk Management Plans but were not in the first tranche of schemes to progress to design. These are scheduled to be progressed under the National Development Plan to 2030 and a national pilot is informing the most efficient delivery model for these schemes.
