CALL FOR URGENT FLOODING INVESTIGATION

LOCAL political representatives are calling for an urgent investigation into last week’s flooding in a residential area of Newcastle. They have pointed out that it is the second time in recent months that the Maguerite area of the town has experienced flooding. South Down MP Chris Hazzard, MLAs Patrick Brown and Colin McGrath and councillors Laura Devlin and Jill Truesdale this week called for the Department for Infrastructure to look into why this keeps happening and to explore ways of stopping it in the future. The South Down MP has said an urgent investigation must “identify practical solutions”. He added that residents living in the Marguerite area have suffered devastating flooding twice in a short space of time, “despite having a nearby pumping station and (being) surrounded by a flood defence wall”. “Following heavy rainfall during Storm Gerrit residents in Marguerite Avenue were once again faced with severe flooding – with dehumidifiers still attempting to dry out many of their homes from the previous flooding in November,” added the Sinn Féin MP. “Whilst the local community understand that heavy rainfall in storm conditions creates challenges for the DfI’s agencies, such as NI Water and Rivers, there is no doubt that something is not working as intended at this location. “These homes are yards away from an NI Water pumping station, and a DfI Rivers flood defence wall – yet twice within a month nearby homes have been left destroyed following heavy rainfall. “This is simply not good enough, and a solution must be urgently found. “Significant public money has been invested in flood defence systems in Newcastle in recent years – firstly on the Burren River, and more recently on the Shimna; whilst the Shimna flood defence walls have worked well during recent storms, questions are now being asked of the Burren flood defence system. “An urgent investigation must assess the effectiveness of the Burren flood defence system and identify solutions in order to rebuild confidence within the local community that their homes are safe.” Colin McGrath has said that the response to the flooding at Marguerite Avenue “was sluggish at best”. “This area was flooded just after Christmas and with substantial rain forecast again for the period up to New Year’s Eve the response from agencies was once again slow, with various agencies trying to absent themselves from blame and thus the cost of managing the issue, which is what local people need,” said the SDLP MLA. “This was a significant issue highlighted after the last incident in November and one that we raised with the highest levels of the Department. “It is worrying that the culture still remains, with elected representatives having to put on the pressure rather than having a coordinated and swift response already in place. “We need to see a quick analysis of what is causing this flooding issue and see immediate steps taken to resolve them, but there must be a back-up plan in the meantime.” His party colleague, Cllr Laura Devlin, added: “I spent much of the holiday period chasing agencies, their representatives and on-hold to reporting phone lines and all in an effort to help local people in their moment of need. “It just doesn’t feel like the agencies are ‘there’ for local people when it is needed and that is disappointing and just adds to the frustrations that local people feel. “It is unfair on them and needs addressed.” Mr McGrath has said he has sought a meeting with the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Infrastructure “to find out what is happening and ensure swift contingency plans are in place for local residents”. Alliance MLA Patrick Brown and his party colleague Cllr Jill Truesdale have also asked for an explanation for this most recent flooding incident in Newcastle. “This is the second time homes in this area of Newcastle have been hit within weeks,” said Mr Brown. “Urgent questions need to be raised with DFI and we need to know fully what measures are being put in place to protect these homes. “Furthermore, the flooding of these homes has outlined the need for grant funding to compensate residents. “Many who applied for the Homeowner Flood Protection Grant six weeks ago have not received a penny. “This scheme gives homeowners grant money to spend on flood defences to protect their homes if they are within a flood zone. “The slow pace at which this money is being rolled out is preventing residents from protecting their homes and could have prevented this flood incident.” Cllr Truesdale said “no one is in any doubt of the risk Newcastle is under” when it comes to flooding. “The town has been fortunate to secure a multi-million-pound flood alleviation project which has undoubtedly saved many homes and businesses,” The Mournes councillor stated. “However, despite this, homes in Newcastle still experienced flooding which could have been prevented. “Appropriate measures need to be put in place to protect this area and I will continue to lobby DfI and NI Water to ensure residents feel safe in their own homes.”