£5m flood alleviation project to start in New Year

£5m flood alleviation project to start in New Year

21 November 2018

WORK on a £5m flood alleviation scheme to protect hundreds of homes in Newcastle will include upgrades of footpaths on the Bryansford Avenue side of Islands Park in the resort.

The multi-million pound project due to start in the New Year — designed to prevent the Shimna River from bursting its banks — will take one year to complete, with the construction work expected to cause signifcant disruption at times.

Extending upstream into Tipperary Wood and downstream into Islands Park, the scheme is designed to protect over 300 homes at Bryansford Avenue, Shimna Road, Shimna Vale, Elmgrove Park, Larchfield Park and Marguerite which have previously flooded.

Design consultants were commissioned to come up with the scheme following a major flooding incident in the resort almost a decade ago when 40 homes were swamped in the Bryansford Avenue and Shimna Road areas.

The detail of the scheme was outlined several months ago in an environmental report, with politicians delighted work is due to get underway within months.

The scheme will involve the demolition of a number of property boundary walls and fences, while several mature trees are also to be felled, with sections of the river bank reinforced with what are being described as concrete clad sheet piles.

A new pathway along the river also forms part of the scheme, while part of an existing path will be realigned and one new floodgate erected, while new picnic tables at the Islands Park form part of the scheme alongside new paths over the nearby grass mound area.

South Down MLA Colin McGrath and Mournes councillor Laura Devlin have welcomed confirmation that the paths at the Islands Park are being upgraded as part of the £5m flood alleviation scheme.

“Some of the worst paths at this part of the resort are to be resurfaced which is welcome news,” said Mr McGrath. “Over one year ago I asked for this work to be included in the scheme to ensure they are safe for wheelchair uses in particular.

“At that time, council funding was limited and whilst the officers could see the issue, it couldn’t progress at that stage. However, it has now been confirmed that resurfacing the paths will be part of the much-needed drainage scheme which is excellent and very welcome indeed.”

Cllr Devlin is also delighted the work will form part of the wider multi-million pound flood alleviation project.

She added: “This is a major issue for anyone in a wheelchair and for parents pushing prams. Parts of the existing paths are extremely bumpy and uneven and certainly not conducive to a sleeping baby.

“I look forward to the completion of this much-needed work, as well as the urgent need for the flood alleviation scheme.”