Vital sea defences and flood relief measures for Galway city have been delayed by three years, and estimated costs have soared to €80 million.
The next phase of public consultation on the massive Corrib go Cósta plan began this week, with Office of Public Works documents displaying a price tag €30 million more expensive than the €50 million it predicted at a similar round of consultations held in Salthill last year.
This estimate does not include changes to Salthill Prom, which is considered a sea defence by coastal engineers, and may require a complete rebuild due to tidal erosion concerns.
Work on permanent measures to guard against one-in-200 year coastal incursions, and once a century river flooding events, will now aim to be completed by 2033, not 2030 as was previously advertised.
A spokesman for the OPW said the 60 per cent increase in price estimate was because some less expensive flood relief options were rejected in response to public consultations last year, and due to construction price inflation.
“These are estimates. We won’t know the final price until a planned project is put out for tender,” he said.
Last year, a number of more expensive options for the city were ruled out, including a €2 billion tidal barrier across the Corrib estuary, an offshore breakwater opposite Salthill, and levees built along the length of the River Corrib.
An ‘Emerging Preferred Scheme’ has now been developed by the OPW, Galway city council, Arup engineers and architects from Brady Shipman Martin. It is currently out for public consultation before formal planning applications are lodged next year.
Designs must be finalised after this round of consultation, and environmental assessments completed. A planning application was originally scheduled to be submitted in 2025.
The scheme covers fluvial areas throughout Galway, including along the Corrib, Terryland Watercourse, and the network of canals, mill races and streams which flow through the western side of the city centre. Coastal defences are envisaged from Upper Salthill through the Claddagh, South Park, the port, around Lough Atalia, Deadman’s Beach and Ballyloughane Beach.
This will include 6.6km of walls of varying heights, and 1.4km of stepped, earthen embankments to protect 1,058 buildings deemed “at risk” from the sea, waterways and pluvial flooding due to heavy rains.
Anecdotally, public engagement last year declined to endorse walls along waterfronts (option A ), or to allow coastal areas to occasionally flood with defences more inland (option C ), and it appears designers are now pursuing the compromise option B, with most walls set back a few yards from waterways, with demountable barriers across pedestrian entrances.
Bespoke plans are now emerging for 13 distinct areas: Salthill caravan park, Upper Salthill, Toft Park, Grattan Road, South Park and Nimmo’s Pier, Wolfe Tone Bridge and Claddagh Quay, Raven Terrace and Canal Walk, city centre canals, the Fishmarket (Spanish Parade ), Long Walk, the Inner Docks, Harbour Enterprise Park, and Lough Atalia.
