Instead of the time frame getting shorter on advancing necessary flood protection works at Springfield the opposite is happening, Cllr Michael Begley has claimed.
Last November, flood relief plans for Springfield were withdrawn following an environmental objection. Flooding in 2015 forced people to vacate their homes. In April, Cllr Cathal Crowe flagged his concern that the cost overrun at the National Children’s Hospital in Dublin could impact on defence work being carried out in Clonlara.
At the September meeting of Clare County Council, Cllr Michael Begley observed, “The Springfield project seems to be getting longer and longer instead of shorter and shorter”. The Independent representative asked when did engineers within the local authority expect to go part eight planning.
“If the rainfall continues as it did for month of August we are staring into 2015/16 situation again. Three years on, we need some sort of finality on this project,” Begley said.
Sean Lenihan, senior executive engineer with the Council said they were hopeful by October the outcome for modelling and further assessment would be complete. “There was a lot of toing and froing with the OPW for what was needed. We will have the outcome from their deliberations by October and we will then know where will go from there”.
