Sir, – As this year’s floods recede, we must review how the damage can be reduced over the coming years. The Minister for Housing James Browne, stated last month that flood relief schemes don’t work in all cases and how he is contemplating the purchase of homes that suffer repeated flooding.
We have learned too how high that cost could be. According to the Office of Public Works (OPW), 25 homeowners have availed of the Voluntary Relocation Scheme (2017), at a total cost of €7,000,000, with more to follow. Some readers might view that as another pyrites scheme in the making.
While the Minister’s goodwill is laudable, we might ask whether he is adequately informed. A week before his announcement the planning regulator revealed he was dealing with multiple rezoning proposals for flood-prone sites.
Over the past six years, there were almost 300 intended schemes. It is really concerning too how the regulator’s intervention failed in 10 per cent of cases, prompting ministerial intervention (a formal legal direction).
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Just as factor 50won’t stop climate change we need a realistic solution. All county development plans should have the flood lands clearly set out on maps as no-go areas. Over 10 years ago I said that in an RTÉ interview. The Minister might start there. – Yours, etc,
DR DIARMUID Ó GRÁDA,
Planning consultant,
Clonskeagh,
Dublin 14.
