A LOCAL senator has said that further support is needed to ensure that the Bantry culvert project upgrade is swiftly put in place.
Fine Gael’s Sen Noel O’Donovan – who was recently nominated by Taoiseach Micheál Martin to the upper house – said he has invited by the Minister of State for the OPW (Office of Public Works) Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran to come to Bantry to meet with Council officials to review ongoing design and planning works for the culvert upgrade.
‘Speaking to local business owners, families and those throughout the community, I can feel their frustrations and their need to have the scheme fast-tracked,’ Sen O’Donovan told The Southern Star.
‘It’s great to see the progress that has been made so far and we will hopefully see a tender for the project soon, but we need to do everything we can to ensure this upgrade happens as quickly as possible.’
Sen O’Donovan said that having the minister for the OPW in the town will give him an opportunity to meet and listen to local business owners who have been deeply impacted by flooding over many years.
‘While it is essential we get a full flood relief scheme in place, the culvert is the key element here. Having this in place would take a lot of pressure off businesses who deal with the impacts of flooding in the town.’
He said the main flood relief scheme will take some time and that the Minister’s priority needs to be to move the culvert flood relief scheme forward as quickly as possible to bring much-needed relief to the people of Bantry.
‘We have seen great results from the flood protection schemes across the country, but there are many towns and villages still waiting for flood relief schemes, so we do need to see what more can be done.
He added that he is looking forward to welcoming Minister Moran to Bantry where he can see first hand how urgent it is that they carry out these works and get the culvert upgrade in place.
Cllr Caroline Cronin (FG) said that the local community in Bantry needs to get this scheme in place and ensure the town can thrive and reach its full potential.
‘I want to especially thank Cork County Council’s engineering team who are progressing with planning and design works,’ said Cllr Cronin.
