Let’s call things by their name. We could have prevented this’

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It should have been a busy business day before the six-week shutdown, but instead they spent it cleaning up before closing after the worst flooding in Cork City in years.

Up to 100 facilities in and around the Oliver Plunkett St city area were flooded after the River Lee overflowed, prompting a surge in requests for the Save Cork City (SCC) campaign group to withdraw its latest challenge. legal to a critical flood defense. draft.

Officials said if the stalled Morrison’s Island public domain update were in place, it would have averted yesterday’s tide.

The nearly € 7 million plan was first approved by city councilors in 2018 and later withdrawn after a legal challenge from SCC.

An Bord Pleanála’s decision to approve the project this summer now faces a possible challenge from the group before the High Court.

SCC is also filing objections to OPW’s € 150 million Lower Lee Flood Relief Plan, insisting that a tidal barrier is the best way to protect the city.

Paul Montgomery of Clancy’s bar and restaurant on Princes St, which was hit again by flooding yesterday, said now is the time to take action to alleviate the flooding.

“Cork City Council is in charge of Cork City, we have to leave Cork City Council and the experts, engineers and OPW take care of this,” he said.

The South Mall, Cork City during heavy flooding.
The South Mall, Cork City during heavy flooding.

“I have heard the arguments for tidal barriers, but I have heard expert engineers say that it would take 20 years to build a tidal barrier. We will be gone in 20 years if we are expecting that.”

Pharmacist John Minihan, whose Oliver Plunkett St facility escaped major damage, said: “Let’s call things by name. We could have prevented this if the flood defenses had been made on Morrison’s Island.

“We can argue about the theory of what to do, but we have to make decisions. They will not always be the right decisions, but whoever does not make a decision will achieve nothing. “

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that the Government will ensure that support is provided to affected companies under existing humanitarian and commercial schemes.

However, he said the flood is further proof of the need to advance flood defense works in the city.

OPW Minister Patrick O’Donovan visited the area and pleaded with SCC to withdraw its legal challenge.

“I am calling on people to think again, to step away from what is currently happening,” he said.

“I call on those people to look at the faces of those merchants on Oliver Plunkett St, Marlboro St, Morrison’s Island, to Patrick Street and tell them it’s okay for this to go on longer, because it doesn’t.

“There is a time and a place for everything.”

In a statement, SCC said it was “very saddened” to see people in distress, but that it can offer them little comfort other than sympathy.

He said that the OPW’s flood defense walls and removable barrier solution are out of step with current thinking and far more destructive to the city than other possibilities.

“People who rampage stores were looking for solutions and did not want to be used as a pawn to impose OPW’s objectives in the city,” the group said.

“These are not times of harassment by the government, but times of conversation and deep reflection.”

But he added: “We will reconsider all our actions in the coming days, including any legal action.”

Yesterday, water levels were just four inches below the levels reached during the February 2014 tide, which affected some 300 facilities and caused millions of euros in damage.

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