BREAKING: €6m Athlone flood plan gets go-ahead to start

A €6m scheme to develop permanent flood defences for Athlone is to be fast-tracked, with construction work expected to begin next summer.

Funding for the project has been announced this morning by the Minister for the Office of Public Works and Flood Relief Sean Canney at a press conference in Athlone, flanked by Independent Alliance TD Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran.

The move means the Athlone flood defence plan is being taken out of the ongoing Shannon Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management process (CFRAM) process and proceeded with separately.

The works to be included in the flood defence plan will mirror those proposed in the recently published draft flood risk management plan, devised as part of the ongoing CFRAM process.

The plan involves the development of some ten walls, spanning somewhere between 1,038 metres and 1,358 metres, eight embankments stretching roughly over 1,600 metres, six floodgates totalling 16 metres and the raising of four roads.

Included in that plan is an embankment south of Golden Island Shopping Centre and a water storage area in Garrycastle, on land south of the old railway line and east of the bypass to deal with potential flooding from the River Al.

A brief will be published in the coming weeks for the appointment of a consultant to undertake the detailed design of the various flood defences.

And it’s understood the local authority will proceed with the planning process for the works early next year, with work due to start in the middle of 2017.

When questioned the Minister was unable to give a firm timeline for the completion of the works.

At the announcement, the Minister said: “Given the flooding experienced in Athlone during last winter it has been decided to advance the works in this town. The OPW and Westmeath County Council are working together on the development of a flood relief scheme for the town. The OPW has agreed to a request from the Council to fund the development and implementation of the scheme for Athlone based on the options identified in the Shannon CFRAM report.'

He said when completed this project will provide protection to approximately 250 homes.