New flood risk rules mean top of The Reek is only safe site left in West — cllr

By TONY GALVIN FLOOD risk precautions are getting so strict that at the rate they are being introduced, the only place in the West of Ireland where you will soon be able to get planning permission will be on top of Croagh Patrick. This was the comment made by Tuam Area Cllr Tom McHugh when he became exasperated during a debate on the level of flood-risk assessment that is now mandatory when drawing up area plans around the county.[private] He warned that the mere hint of a risk of flooding in an area would soon preclude the granting of planning permission. Even if planning permission could be obtained, it would be impossible to get a mortgage. He also argued that one of the consequences of the aftermath of the flooding which hit Galway in 2009 was that it became very difficult to obtain insurance for homes in areas tagged as having flood-risk status. 'At this rate, the top of Croagh Patrick will be the only place designated as above flood risk in the West of Ireland,' he said. Members of Galway Co Council have been informed that that new rules regarding flood-risk assessment are now in place and must be adhered to when they consider area plans and zoning. They were informed that even if they decide the guidelines are too restrictive or don't match local knowledge on the ground and are pushed through re-zoning, their decisions would be reversed further on in the process. Councillors were told that the new guidelines have to take into account the possible impact of climate change on locations they were considering for planning. Several members, including Cllr McHugh, expressed concern over what they felt was the removal of their role in planning. The debate was sparked over an attempt to make changes to the Barna Area Plan, which was decided in December. Councillors were informed that they could not effect changes to the plan as the decision had already been made. The major issue of concern was a stipulation that in order to get planning permission, sites had to be at least 4.5m above sea level and be cleared in a flood risk assessment. Several members were concerned that an amendment to an agreed-upon area plan could have a knock-on impact if people in other areas viewed this as a precedent and challenged their own plans. Consultant Conor Skehan, who is assisting the Co Council in the flood-risk assessment process, said that in his experience of studying flooding, including work with the UN, people who suffer serious flooding always said the same thing; they couldn't believe the flood would come as far as it did. He told the meeting that the one thing he could definitely tell them when it came to flood risk was that there are no certainties. 'Don't ask me for certainty. I can't give it,' he said, when councillors asked him to assess the risks in certain areas. He said that climate change was nothing new. The climate is always changing and his role was to help assess how this change might impact on planning decisions, to try and ensure people were safe in their homes. Since 1870, sea levels have risen by eight inches and the guidelines introduced by bodies such as the OPW are attempting to make allowances for such changes, with special emphasis on the impact of climate change.[/private]