Work Commences on Flood Alleviation Scheme For Ballycolman

A NEW £100,000 scheme aimed at alleviating flooding in the Ballycolman got underway last week.

Minister John O’Dowd visited the Strabane estate as contractors arrived on site on Tuesday. And while this is an interim scheme for the area the Minister further confirmed long term work to tackle the on-going problem should begin by the end of October.

Homes at the bottom of the Ballycolman have suffered repeated flooding, with the most recent incident taking place at the end of July. Minister O’Dowd visited the estate in the aftermath of that devastating flood and felt the full wrath of the residents’ anger. On that occasion he pledged to return with good news, a promise he fulfilled this week.

The scheme, which the Minister says will cost close to £100,000, will see infrastructure put in place that will divert water away from the front of houses at the bottom of the Ballycolman to the far side of the road and discharged through a channel into the playing fields opposite. It is expected to take six weeks.

Work had been held up due to a legal technicality between the Department for Infrastructure and Council in relation to use of Melvin Arena.

This week the Infrastructure Minister said delays such as this could no longer be tolerated.

He explained, “Officials in my department, the Department for Communities and the Council are all on board and the work has ministerial backing. There is literally no-one standing in the way of this work.

“Equipment is being delivered as we speak,” the Minister explained. “We could stand around and wait for the lawyers, but with all due respect, that could take a lot of time and frankly we don’t have that time, nor do the residents. Too much time has been wasted already. We have to allow the workers in, get the paperwork done, get the work done and get it sorted out. We are dealing with Mother Nature here and she is a formidable adversary.”

The interim solution is seen as a gateway to a longer-term one, which had been announced prior to Stormont’s collapse. The previous Infrastructure minister Nichola Mallon visited the Ballycolman last autumn and pledged £500,000 for that long term fix.

Bringing the residents up to date on progress Minister O’Dowd explained, “This work will hopefully resolve the issue of flooding at the front of the houses, while the scheme announced by Minister Mallon also takes in flooding at the rear of the houses.

“Survey work is continuing and we are looking at solutions with NI Water to resolve that. It’s a significant piece of work. Surveying and design work still need to be completed and we are working with the developer on that.

“I cannot speak for what Nichola Mallon said, but that’s the current state of things.”

Asked if he expects the long-term scheme to be in place before his current tenure as Infrastructure Minister ends, Mr O’Dowd said “I am confident that I as Minister will have driven the project forward by October 25, when my tenure ends.”

Welcoming the investment, Sinn Féin MLA Maolíosa McHugh hailed the scheme.

He said “I would like to commend the Minister and his officials, working in partnership with Minister Deirdre Hargey and Council for pulling out all the stops within the last month to get this scheme to this commencement stage.”

And his colleague, Cllr Michaela Boyle added, “Minister John O Dowd delivered on what he promised to do at the end of July when he met with the residents affected by the latest flooding.

“He returned within the month as promised, and was in a position to deliver good news to the long-suffering residents of the area who have endured so much anguish and hardship from flooding over recent years.”