Through the Catchment-based Flood Risk Assessment and Management Programme (CFRAM), the largest study of flood risk was completed by the Office of Public Works (OPW) in 2018. This studied the flood risk for two thirds of the population against the risk of flooding from rivers and the sea. The Government’s Flood Risk Management Plans, an output of CFRAM, provided the evidence for a proactive approach to designing and constructing flood relief schemes for the most at-risk communities. Investment of €1.3 billion through the National Development Plan has allowed the OPW, since 2018, to treble the number of flood relief schemes at design, planning, or construction to some 100 schemes.
As it is not feasible to deliver all flood relief schemes concurrently (due to constraints on the specialised engineering skills in the OPW, local authorities, and the consultancy market), the flood-relief delivery programme was sub-divided into two tranches, focusing initially on Tranche 1 schemes and those already in the delivery pipeline. The prioritisation of the first tranche of schemes was based on three criteria including: scale of projects, capacity to deliver a national programme, and maximising return on investment by reference to property numbers.
Under the national programme, work has yet to commence on the design of some 50 Tranche 2 flood relief schemes. A number of initiatives are underway, including the OPW piloting a new delivery model for flood relief schemes through four Tranche 2 schemes in counties Kilkenny and Donegal, which is referred to as the Tranche 2 Pilot. The Tranche 2 Pilot is transferring the management of data gathering, as a first step in designing a scheme, from consultant engineers for a single scheme to the local authorities for all schemes in the Pilot. The Pilot means that data gathering, where feasible, may be scaled up from individual communities to all schemes in a county.
The Pilot will better inform the prioritisation of future schemes nationally and the scope of services required from consultants to design and facilitate construction of flood relief schemes. While it is anticipated that work to progress Tranche 2 schemes will commence within the lifetime of the National Development Plan, the implementation of these schemes will continue post-2030.
The Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme (Minor Works Scheme) was introduced by the OPW in 2009. The purpose of the scheme is to provide funding to local authorities to undertake minor flood mitigation works or studies to address localised flooding or coastal erosion problems within their administrative areas. The scheme generally applies where a solution can be readily identified and achieved in a short time frame. It is also available to introduce interim measures that can mitigate the flood risk to those communities pending completion of a major flood relief scheme. Under the Minor Works Scheme, it is the responsibility of the local authority to advance the works, once approved by the OPW. This includes all environmental assessments, planning consents, health and safety requirements and landowner agreements.
I recently announced revisions to the Minor Works Scheme, including increasing the maximum funding under the scheme to €2m. My Office is finalising the details of these revisions, and I expect to announce these details shortly.
