Erris-based councillors in the Westport-Belmullet Municipal District have expressed their disappointment at being informed that works on the Bundula sea wall in the Mullet peninsula, are now not expected to be completed until Spring 2023 - and not by the end of this year - as they had been initially informed.
The repair of the wall which was damaged by storms during the Winter of 2019 has been a long-running issue for the councillors in the area, with funding being granted in 2020, but work not being able to be carried out due to wild birds wintering in the locality. Then, last year, they were told there was a change to the design of the wall, which is now being constructed off site in a pre-cast fashion.
Council engineer, Kieran Lynn, told the March meeting of the Westport-Belmullet Municipal District this week that it is a difficult project with the precast units currently being made, with the project having to be done all at the same time, and it does not look like it will be done in full by the end of 2022.
Fianna Fáil councillor Sean Carey said: "People who are living there expect this to be done and we led them to believe it would be done this year, we got informed it would be definitely done this year, how much longer can this drag on for? I want to get a commitment that this will be done and not drag on indefinitely. It is totally unacceptable and whatever needs to be done, must be done."
Fine Gael councillor Gerry Coyle added: "I don't want any more excuses, we need to move on and build the wall, I'm not happy with this at all."
Head of the district for the council, Padraig Walsh, said that they would hope to put pressure on the contractor to bring the works forward.
