The Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Frank O’Flynn has welcomed the signing of a contract with Malachy Walsh and Partners marking the first stage of the development of a Flood Relief Scheme which will protect eight residential properties located close to Ballinhassig Village.

The successful consultant was identified following an extensive tender process. Cork County Council will manage the delivery of the Flood Relief Scheme in partnership with the Office of Public Works (OPW) who is funding the scheme.

The properties for which flood mitigation measures will be progressed under the scheme suffered significant flooding from the Owenabue River on several occasions most recently during Storm Babet in October this year.

The Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Frank O’Flynn, highlighted how, “the importance of providing flood mitigation measures to communities vulnerable to flooding could not be over emphasised. The experience in Cork County during the extreme weather conditions brought by Storm Babet highlighted the devastation suffered by property owners in flood risk areas including the Ballinhassig residents. On behalf of Cork County Council, I would like to thank the OPW for their ongoing commitment, funding, and support for the delivery of this vital flood relief infrastructure.”

Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW), Patrick O’Donovan TD, stated, “I am delighted to welcome the appointment of Malachy Walsh and Partners as Consultants to the Ballinhassig Flood Relief Scheme. The development of this scheme will be effective in delivering a flood relief scheme to protect 8 properties at risk of flooding in the village of Ballinhassig. My office and Cork County Council will continue to work together with Malachy Walsh and Partners to progress this scheme. As with all OPW flood relief projects, this scheme, when constructed, will be adaptable to continue to protect against today’s flood risk and the growing risk from climate change into the future.”