Minister John Gormley’s last minute diversion to a flood stricken Carlow town last August has left a bitter aftertaste in the mouths of some local councillors.
The Environment Minister’s rain-sodden day in the town was devised as a calming hand to assure residents that the necessary measures would be taken to ensure there would be no repeat of those August and January scenes.
But it has done little more than to seal Carlow’s reputation as a byword for poor planning and building on flood plains in the view of the nation, according to Cllr Michael Abbey.
Last week Cllr Abbey staunchly defended the town’s planning record and called on the Minister to withdraw statements he made about building carried out on flood plains, attributing the floods to poor planning.
“The only benefit of John Gormley’s visit is that Carlow has become a byword for building on flood plains,” Cllr Abbey said.
“RTÉ are still using the clip of him on the boat pulling up to the stop,” he said, suggesting the visit was little more than a publicity stunt that did nothing for the town.
Cllr Abbey said he had written to Minister Gormley in response to the suggestions that building had taken place on flood plains, asking him to highlight the sites in question.
Minister Gormley’s response was brief and direct, according to Cllr Abbey, stating that the Minister had no function over the matter raised in the question.
“After giving us a bad reputation from one end of the country to the other, this was his answer, he has no function in the matter?
“So why did he even come to Carlow?”
On his August visit, Minister Gormley gave assurances that the €30 million for the town’s flood relief scheme and main drainage scheme would be made available.
However, both of those schemes fall under the auspices of the Office of Public Works, and Cllr Abbey noted that Martin Mansergh, the Minister with responsibility for the OPW, had offered a conscious response dealing with all the aspects when questioned about the August floods in the Dáil.
Cllr Rody Kelly backed Cllr Abbey in his calls.
“The buildlings that are there were there long before any of us, including the Minister, came to Carlow,” he said.
“The Minister should withdraw any inference that this council allowed any building on flood plains.”
