Council seeks Shared Island cash to improve flood defences

Newry city centre after it flooded in October.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council is to seek Shared Island funding to “swiftly invest” in its water way defences in the absence of a functioning Stormont Executive.

Council’s (NMDDC) environment committee approved two motions this week to prepare and defend against future flood risks.

The chamber was also presented with an update on the fallout of the October/November (2023) time floods in Newry and Downpatrick, with an independent consultant’s report due to be made public in June 2024.

Downaptrick Alliance rep, Cadogan Enright said: “Recent flooding has exposed the clear inadequacy of flood defences within the district.

“To address this, and in the absence of a functioning Stormont Executive to swiftly invest in flood defences infrastructure, council will work with Louth County Council, the Irish government and relevant Stormont departments to submit a funding application to the Shared Island Unit for upgrades to relevant defences systems in the district.”

The Shared Island initiative, was set up in the Republic in 2020, to harness the full potential of the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement to enhance cooperation, connection and mutual understanding on the island and to engage with all communities and traditions to build consensus around a shared future.

The Irish government has already allocated over €50m from the Shared Island Fund to move ahead with strategic investment projects such as the Ulster Canal, Narrow Water Bridge and the North-South Research Programme.

Mournes Alliance councillor, Jill Truesdale also put forward her motion to generate a multi-agency task force to improve preparedness in the district, with alternative environmentally friendly flood measures to be considered in future plans.

The NMDDC chamber heard from a number of elected representatives who spoke of first hand evidence of a failure to deliver sandbags to constituents and businesses.

A council report now states 32,000 sandbags were distributed to businesses in the district.

Environmental Health Officers (EHO) confirmed 235 businesses were impacted internally by flood waters.

However, less than half of the 257 businesses who applied for grants through the central government funding support package of £15m, were successful with 114 businesses being paid grants of £7,500, making a total payout of £885,000.

Of the 306 domestic properties visited by EHOs, there were 119 households deemed eligible for the Department of Communities payout of £1,000.

Downpatrick Sinn Fein councillor, Oonagh Hanlon added: “When I was on Market Street (Downpatrick) and it became clear that we were in real, real bother, it was evident that Rivers Agency from across the six counties were coming to Downpatrick with sandbags due to the amount of phone calls they were receiving identifying the area as most in need. Ideally, we should have had the sandbags the day before.

“For us on the ground as elected reps, it is not much good when you have people who are worried that their houses or businesses are going to flood.

“There isn’t even the manpower to get the sandbags over to them, when that system isn’t working.

“I do hope that through the independent review that they take a good look at the flood system. Even the narrative that you have to have the water coming through your door before you even get a sandbag isn’t good enough, because at that stage it is too late.”