Low Level Integrated Defence Elements

Unfortunately, there has been some misleading commentary (particularly on social media) about the scale of defences proposed as part of the Lower Lee Flood Relief Scheme. It has been claimed that it is a “Walls Scheme” with high walls which will block the river from view and inhibit its use. This simply is not true.

As can be seen from the details of the Scheme provided, defences only represent one component of many in what is very much a multifaceted scheme, developed specifically to meet the needs of Cork.

A key driver of the design of the Scheme has been to ensure that defences elements are appropriate to each location and can be integrated seamlessly into the landscape and enhance it, and to put the river back at the heart of the city. Defences take many forms including low level parapets, embankments, seating areas, demountable barriers, glazed elements etc.

Many defence elements in the city centre are no greater than knee height, with the highest city centre defences being just above waist height where they also have to provide fall protection for the safety of pedestrians and cycles using the riverside walkways and cycleways.

In many cases too, the defences are set back from the river to allow pedestrians and cyclists to have more unrestricted access to the river.

The Scheme will see previously blocked access points to the river being opened and new ones being created to allow better and easier use of the river, as shown in the image below.

These details have been developed through extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders. OPW, Cork City Council and the Scheme designers have engaged with river users and tourism interests to see that the river is proactively used as a positive resource for Cork.

During the development of the Scheme, it has been confirmed definitively that quayside defences are both necessary and viable now and in all possible future scenarios both to address river flooding and to function as part of an integrated and sustainable tidal defence solution.

The following points are worth noting:

1. Quay walls in Cork already play an important flood defence role.
2. Quay walls act as flood defences in many other historic cities.
3. Cork’s quays vary in age, with many of the original quays having been replaced or built on over the years, meaning that very few of the quays are original.
4. Without investment, many of Cork’s quay walls will be at risk of collapse.
5. The proposed works will stabilise, strengthen and respectfully repair these quay walls to meet the future flood defence needs of the city.
6. Many of the existing quay walls only require repointing to perform a flood defence role.
7. Some of the quayside parapets will only require a modest increase in height.
8. There is no proposal to build high walls anywhere along the quays. None of the works proposed on the quay walls will block the river from view; in fact the opposite is the case.
9. Some of the proposed quayside defences involve demountable barriers that are never seen except at a time of serious risk of flooding.