£10m from Stormont to tackle flood issue

Published Thursday, 05 July 2012
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Stormont has made available £10m in an effort to prevent future flooding in Belfast and north Antrim.

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The Executive revealed on Thursday that the funds would be used to improve flooding infrastructure in south Belfast's Sicily Park, along the Loop River in the east of the city and in Cushendall.

Last week many homes and businesses were flooded in Co Antrim following heavy rain as infrastructure could not cope with the sudden deluge.

Some areas have been flooded four times in five years and many affected have said not enough is being done to prevent it causing devastating damage to their properties.

The flooding incident line is also to be upgraded, and a review will be carried out into the response to the floods.

Earlier on Thursday, the Lord Mayor of Belfast brought together city council party group leaders and senior representatives from NI Water, DRD Roads Service, Rivers Agency, NI Housing Executive and Belfast Health and Social Care Trust.

The representatives have agreed to work together to share information on areas at risk of flooding to develop an action plan, store and distribute sandbags or flood shields and review the emergency response to future flooding.

Our aim is to reassure the public that we are being proactive and that we are putting measures in place to make them feel less vulnerable.

Mayor Gavin Robinson

"I saw first-hand the devastation caused by last week's flooding and as public servants it is our duty to do all in our power to help our ratepayers," Alderman Gavin Robinson said.

"Some of the options discussed today include investigating the provision of flood shields which would help empower residents to protect their own properties so that they feel in some way prepared, rather than always having to rely on the assistance of others.

"Undoubtedly a collective multi-agency solution is the way forward and it is vital that interim measures are put in place and longer-term solutions are agreed."

The council has advised that property inspections are ongoing to assess properties that are eligible for hardship payments.

Council staff has inspected more than 1,600 properties to date and has also visited 2,000 homes to provide advice packs and offer any assistance.

So far, approximately 380 properties have been deemed eligible for hardship payments.

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4 Comments
Carol in Omagh wrote (319 days ago):
What these areas of Belfast need is not a bit of piece meal funding but the scheme which is planned for 2014 and due to cost £135 m. How could this be funded? If the government let commonsense prevail and used the money to be spent on the proposed A5WTC on this project instead. An upgrade of the existing road could be done alongside the water project.Section 1 of this road is planned to be built on a floodplain!
norman.d in bangor wrote (320 days ago):
deaglan it shows you dont pay rates on a home i do and the water rates are built into your house rates so why should people pay twice for those who pay nothing they live rent free
deaglan in belfast wrote (320 days ago):
because norman.d you would only moan about having to pay water charges to cover the cost of upgrading the infrastructure
norman.d in bangor wrote (321 days ago):
instead of giving out sandbags and shields why dont they upgrade the drainage system clean out the rivers to stop this flooding instead of a sticking plaster year after year
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