South Dublin residents have slammed a near ten-year timeframe for the delivery of much needed flood defences as ‘madness’.
Work in the suburb of Sandymount was due to begin in 2019 but residents have now been told construction will start in 2032.
Dublin City Council say new surveys are required because waves heights and sea level rises will be higher than previously expected.
Speaking to Newstalk, Niall McIlroy from the Sandymount and Merrion Residents’ Association (SAMRA) said the process needs to be speeded up.
“The modelling shouldn’t take two years,” he said. "An Bord Pleanála shouldn’t take three years.
“This in a first-world country? That seems to me to be madness and the regulatory system should not take that long.”
Hazy sunshine over Sandymount strand, 12-07-2022. Image: Emma Tyrrell/Newstalk
“Delaying these enhancements until 2032 is unacceptable,” SAMRA Chair David Turner said.
“OPW is the national agency responsible for flood defences. We want it to get a grip on this and apply maximum urgency as was agreed last year.
"It is beyond belief that we are still getting one excuse after another.
“What are we paying our property taxes for?”
Evacuations
“All the coastal areas [of Ireland] are at risk,” she said.
“The rate of sea level rise globally is happening at about two and a half times the rate it was in the last century.
“So, we’re seeing an acceleration of this across the globe.
“All low-lying cities and towns are at risk and the option is build walls and how high do we build those walls?”
Main image: Horse riders enjoy the weather on Sandymount Strand, Dublin. Photo: Sam boal/Rollingnews.ie
