Fingal County Council secures funding for emergency works at Portrane

Funding has been secured for the installation of a Rock Armor Revetment at Burrow Beach, Portrane, to prevent further erosion of this section of coastline which is threatening homes in the area, Fingal County Council said.

The Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Darragh O’Brien TD, and the Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalization, Kevin Boxer Moran TD, announced yesterday that €622,703 in funding will be provided by the Office of Public Works towards the €700,000 cost of the emergency works.

The two ministers were joined by the Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Tom O’Leary, local councilors, the Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly, and officials from both the Council and the OPW when they visited Portrane yesterday afternoon to view last week’s damage to the coastline from Storm Chandra and announce the emergency works funding.

The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Tom O’Leary, said: “I am delighted that the Ministers have agreed to provide funding through the OPW towards the €700,000 cost of emergency works at the Burrow. This will hopefully provide further protection for the homes that are under threat until the permanent solution can be constructed.”

The Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Darragh O’Brien TD, added: “It is a really significant announcement. It’s about €700,000 of works between Fingal County Council and the OPW to put permanent rock armor here to protect the homes that are most at risk here in the Burrow. These intermediate works will take place in advance of the permanent works where Fingal are submitting an application to An Coimisiún Pleanála for the permanent measures which are the sea groynes that are going in here in Portrane and will bring about a permanent solution to the coastal erosion threat.” 

The decision to proceed with the emergency works follows consultation between Fingal County Council, the OPW and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage with specialist advice from the Council’s consultants Tetra Tech RPS.

Approximately 300 meters of coastline at the southern end of The Burrow Beach has been identified as the most vulnerable section of the coastline on the peninsula and the rock armor will be installed in this area.