Launch 2018
On 3 May 2018, Minister of State with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW) and Flood Relief, Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran T.D. published 29 Flood Risk Management Plans to address flood risk in Ireland.
Minister Moran also launched this new website www.floodinfo.ie to provide access to the published Flood Plans along with the Flood Maps developed by the OPW and information about flood risk management in Ireland.
View full Launch Day Press ReleasesView full Summary leaflet
Completion of the largest ever study of flood risk in Ireland
In 2012, the OPW identified 300 areas or communities believed to be at significant flood risk, of which 90 are coastal. The OPW, through its CFRAM Programme, carried out the largest ever flood risk study in Ireland to date, undertaking a detailed engineering assessment of these communities. This study assessed 80% of properties at risk from Ireland’s main causes of flooding and was informed by public consultation at each stage.
The key outputs of the CFRAM Programme are:
- 40,000 Flood Maps showing the flood risk for 300 communities that support planning decisions and emergency response.
- 29 Flood Risk Management Plans to cover the whole country, with the proposed flood relief measures - informed by costs, benefits and environmental factors - to address the flood risk in each community and nationwide.
Building on Investment to Date
The OPW has been delivering a programme of flood relief schemes since 1995, providing protection to thousands of properties. The Plans now provide the outline of 118 new proposed schemes to protect a further 11,500 properties and provide the evidence to prioritise the delivery of future Government investment to where its benefit is greatest.
While structural flood relief schemes are in place for specific communities, other measures such as emergency response and planning guidelines benefit all at risk properties.
The Government has committed almost €1bn to flood relief measures as part of the National Development Plan 2018-2027.
Importance of Other Measures
The Plans also include proposed flood policy measures that can benefit all at risk properties, including those properties where structural measures are not feasible or those that were not assessed in the CFRAM Programme.