Residents in Limerick village angry over delay in progressing flood relief plan
Councilllors told an elderly couple were forced to leave their home in Athea for eight months
VICTIMS of flash flooding in Athea are urging Limerick City and County Council to put pressure on the Office of Public Works to end their ‘20-year battle’ for flood relief works.
At their November meeting, elected members of the Newcastle West Municipal District were told that a local couple, aged in their 80s, were previously forced to leave their home in the village for eight months following a flash flood event.
A delegation of impacted property owners from Athea met with elected representatives to discuss the lack of progress on a proposed €14 million flood relief scheme designed to protect more than 30 homes.
While proposals were submitted to the OPW in August of this year, approval has not been forthcoming amid concerns over the cost-benefit. Without another source of funding, the scheme will not proceed as currently proposed.
Athea village, which sits next to the River Galley, was flooded in 2005, 2008, 2009, 2015 and as recently as 2024.
The 2008 flood was described as a “once-in-650-years” downpour which caused millions of euro worth of damage to local properties and infrastructure.
In a presentation to elected representatives and officials, property owner Liam Casey said: “Limerick City and County Council sent a design proposal to the OPW, but it hasn’t progressed since August. It has just been sitting on a desk somewhere.”
He continued: “My property flooded in November two years ago. This is one of many times it flooded. Members of our group have been forced to leave their homes for months at a time. There are 50 properties in the danger area. There is correspondence about this scheme stretching back to 2008.”
The property owners, who are demanding that the flood relief plan be progressed, added that they have stopped investing in their properties because they live ‘in constant dread of flooding’.
They also noted that they cannot get flood insurance as their eircodes are inside the ‘danger zone’ as determined by previous flooding incidents.
“Nobody is investing. It affects the value, quality and community of the area. It’s the biggest parish in Limerick and has so much potential,” said Liam Casey during the presentation.
It’s the biggest parish in Limerick and has so much potential
Consultants were appointed Limerick City and County Council in 2019 and proposals for the flood relief scheme were subsequently forwarded to the Office of Public Works for consideration.
At the September meeting of the district, councillors were told the OPW had analysed the proposed scheme and had calculated a benefit-to-cost return of just 0.53, largely due to the €14 million of funding required.
In a letter confirming this, Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran TD, Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, said the OPW was refusing the request for funding.
“The Office of Public Works has recently discussed its assessment with the Council. The Council and the OPW are jointly working on finalizing this review to identify a viable flood relief scheme and measures for Athea to be funded from the €1.3bn for flood relief measures under the National Development Plan,” he stated.
Reacting to the OPW’s analysis, Cllr John Sheahan commented: “The people of Athea are second class citizens.”
Limerick City and County Council has led the development of the scheme over a number of years, appointing consultant engineers and holding multiple public consultation days.
It’s understood local residents are planning to escalate their campaign over the coming months.