Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme

The Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme (Minor Works Scheme) was introduced by the Office of Public Works in 2009.

Purpose of the Minor Works Scheme

The purpose of the Minor Works Scheme is to provide funding to Local Authorities towards undertaking studies and/or works within their administrative areas for:

• minor flood mitigation measures to address and manage localised flood risk to properties from fluvial, coastal/tidal and groundwater sources, and
• coastal protection (erosion) problems – for example, ‘hold the line’ or ‘manage the retreat’.

There are three broad categories of projects funded under the Minor Works Scheme: studies, works, or studies and associated works. The Minor Works Scheme generally applies where a solution can be readily identified and achieved in a short time frame.

The Scheme is also available for local authorities to introduce interim measures for those communities, where a major flood relief scheme is planned, but not yet complete. Applications for interim measures will only be considered up to the time of an application for planning consent for a major scheme.

The Local Authority is responsible for the delivery of the project, including obtaining all required consents and ensuring flood/erosion risks are not caused elsewhere by the proposed works.

Exclusions from the Scheme

Funding under the Minor Works Scheme does not include:

• studies or works that provide land drainage or flood management to lands alone,
• costs of the ongoing maintenance of works completed with funding approved under the Minor Works Scheme,
• reinstatement of approved works through the Minor Works Scheme that have not been maintained,
• studies and works for flood risk that are not the responsibility of the OPW, including:
  • from surface/storm water/combined drainage systems, that are the responsibility of local authorities/Uisce Éireann,
  • unblocking drains/gullies, that are the responsibility of local authorities/Uisce Éireann,
  • emergency response measures, that are the responsibility of local authorities and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and
  • maintenance of channels and at bridges that are the responsibility of State Agencies, including the maintenance of Drainage Districts (responsibility of local authorities), and road/rail bridges that are the responsibility of Transport Infrastructure Ireland/Irish Rail.

Under the Scheme, applications for funding, from a Local Authority Chief Executive or Director of Services, are considered for projects up to €2 million each, and studies up to €750,000 each.

The OPW’s contribution to approved projects is 90% for the first €300,000 approved and increases to 95% for the balance of approved funding above €300,000 up to €2 million. Any expenditure for projects above the approved limits (and approved amounts for individual applications) remains the responsibility of the Local Authority to provide from their own resources to complete the study/works.

Applications are assessed by the OPW having regard to specific criteria, which includes both technical and economic criteria for the overall project. The economic criteria includes the works achieving a benefit cost ratio of 1 or parity, using the prescribed valuations for the scheme.

The application and approval process is subject to the amount of funding sought and type of works. For studies and works up to €750,000, called Band 1 projects, there are two application forms, one for flood (coastal and non-coastal) related projects and a separate form for coastal erosion related projects. The OPW will assess Band 1 project applications against the scheme’s criteria, having regard to the national programme for flood relief schemes and the work underway on the development of a National Coastal Change Management Strategy.

For those works (study and works) for flood mitigation projects above €750,000 up to €2 million, called Band 2 projects, a three step governance framework is applied:

• the first step is for local authorities to submit a business case for the proposed works/studies.
• approval to proceed will include advancing the project to submission for planning, where approval to submit to planning is required.
• subject to planning consent, approval to proceed to construction is the third approval gateway.

At each gateway, the OPW will assess Band 2 project applications against the scheme’s criteria and the national programme for flood relief schemes and the work underway on the development of a National Coastal Change Management Strategy. The criteria for the Minor Works Scheme will be kept under review by the OPW.

The table below shows a list of projects for which funding has been approved. Further information and the application forms to the Minor Works Scheme are available on gov.ie

Last Updated: 01/07/2026

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