Downpatrick flooding report will cost £2m

Downpatrick flooding report will cost £2m

12 June 2024

THE report into the catastrophic flooding which caused millions of pounds worth of damage in Downpatrick town centre last November will be published next spring and cost £2m.

A study to assess the impact of the flooding and its exact cause is being carried out by expert consultants on behalf of the Department for Infrastructure (DfI).

In two weeks’ time, business owners will be given an opportunity to have their input during an event at Down Leisure Centre. 

The June 26 event runs between 4pm and 7pm with similar events planned for Newry and Portadown, parts of which were also engulfed by flood water last November after the wettest October on record.

Consultancy firm Amey has been commissioned to compile the study which will determine options to alleviate the threat of future flooding in Downpatrick.

The town centre was engulfed by water after the Quoile river burst its banks, leaving some businesses under five feet of water, with the business community continuing to count the cost and looking for answers to many questions.

The Downpatrick and Co Down heritage railway was also swamped by millions of gallons of water, leaving its devastated volunteers with an estimated £3m repair bill.

The flood left a trail of devastating destruction in its wake, with the water causing substantial damage, necessitating urgent repairs to locomotives, carriages, track, bridges, platforms, and buildings.

The nearby Asda superstore was also condemned after its structural foundation suffered major damage.

The store was closed immediately following a detailed forensic examination by structural engineers and is to be bulldozed, alongside three adjoining stores, with planning permission being sought to raze all the buildings to the ground and replace them as part of a £22m investment proposal.

The DfI has confirmed this week that the estimated cost of the feasibility study is £2m.

It also confirmed that following the flood, Downpatrick was reprioritised on its 10-year capital works programme.

It says the feasibility study will encapsulate the town’s entire catchment area, focusing on particular points of interest, including the Quoile barrier.

The DfI said the study will take information from not only the recent flooding, but other historical records. In addition, additional surveys will be completed including topographical surveys to build an accurate picture of the catchment. 

The DfI has also confirmed that a hydraulic model will be built to simulate a design flood event so flooding mechanisms can be identified.

Once the risk is fully understood, a list of potential solutions will be investigated and assessed for viability, 

with the government department confirming this will be “quite a lengthy process, but the current estimated timeline for completion of the study is spring 2025”.

Former Downpatrick councillor Dermot Curran said the feasibility study will make “interesting reading” when it is made public.

“Clearly, an in-depth review is needed, not only to determine exactly what happened last November, but what investment is required to ensure something like this never happens again,” he said.

“The scene in the town centre last November was like something you’d see in a disaster movie and countless numbers of businesses were affected.

“We need to future proof our flooding defences to ensure something as unprecedented and calamitous as the winter flood never happens again.”

Mr Curran added: “The financial burden the flood placed on business owners and heritage railway volunteers is highly significant. Offers have been made to some, but the impact of the November flood will last for many years.

“The detail of the completed feasibility study will be closely analysed and it is, without doubt, one of the most important documents ever compiled for Downpatrick.”