Over €55,000 announced to clear debris in Laois river

Over €55,000 in funding has been approved to remove debris and clear restrictions on the River Nore in Laois. 

Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Kieran O’Donnell has announced the approval of Laois County Council’s application for funding under the Office of Public Works’ Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme. 

Under the scheme, the Office of Public Works (OPW) has approved funding of €55,800 for proposed works at River Nore, Teinweir, that includes removing deadwood/debris and pruning of trees that are causing restrictions on the river in South Laois covering approximately 3.5km. This section of River bounds County Laois on the East Bank and County Kilkenny on the West Bank.

The funding was welcomed by Laois Fine Gael TD Charlie Flanagan. 

“This is good news for the area. I am very pleased that significant funding has been secured to carry out works on the Teinweir project. The works will include removal of deadwood/debris and pruning of trees that are causing restrictions on approximately 3.5km of the River Nore in South Laois.

“I am acutely aware of other Rivers across the county which need attention and will  continue to work with Laois County Council and my government colleagues to endeavour to secure additional funding for flood prevention across the county,” said Deputy Flanagan. 

The purpose of the scheme is to provide funding to Local Authorities to undertake minor flood mitigation works or studies to address localised flooding and coastal protection problems within their administrative areas. The scheme generally applies where a solution can be readily identified and achieved in a short time frame.

Under the scheme, applications are considered for projects that are estimated to cost not more than €750,000 in each instance. Funding of up to 90% of the cost is available for approved projects. Applications are assessed by the OPW having regard to the specific economic, social and environmental criteria of the scheme, including a cost benefit ratio. 

Works that are normally the responsibility of the local authorities will generally not be considered for OPW funding. Where such works would also mitigate the risk of flooding to properties, partial funding may be considered by the OPW.

The Local Authorities must be satisfied that the works will not have a significant impact on flood risk elsewhere.

The commencement and progression of any works for which funding is approved is a matter for each Local Authority concerned.

More information, including annual lists of projects for which funding under this scheme has been approved, is available at https://www.floodinfo.ie/minor-works/