Project delay ‘could be best thing’ for Kilkenny river

Disappointment in Callan that long-awaited works on the King’s River have been delayed for yet another year have been tempered with the reassurance the ‘new’ work will be even better than that which was to have taken place.

The saga of the need for works to remove silt from the bed of the river, which many locals believe will not only improve the appearance of the waterway but will also prevent flooding in the area, has now dragged on for several years.

Following weather delays last summer, combined with fisheries and animal welfare restrictions on the time of year works can be carried out in the river, the work was rescheduled for this summer.

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However, as this summer came to an end it was revealed to local councillors that a legislation change meant the work must be postponed again.

At the September meeting of Callan Thomastown Municipal District councillors, Cllr Joe Lyons said he was very disappointed.

Meeting Administrator, Anne Marie Shortall, explained that a meeting had taken place with statutory bodies that must approve the work.
She said they were now considering “alternative, viable works” that will be agreeable to all partners, stakeholders and the community. This includes Inland Fisheries Ireland and the Parks and Wildlife Service.

Ms Shortall said Kilkenny County Council will have to go back to the Department for additional funding and an extension of the time to complete the work. She stressed the intention is to progress the project with a new, feasible option and the council is working positively towards this.

Cllr Lyons said he had been working on this since 2019 and he thought when the work was funded it was ‘good to go.’

In light of the late legislation change, he said “somebody, somewhere should have been following up on this” and informed the local councillors and council staff, in advance of the work being cancelled for this summer.

Earlier this year Cllr Lyons raised the project at several meetings of the municipal district councillors, reminding council officials to remind the consultants who had been engaged to do the work, to be ready to go when the works window opened, so it would not have to be delayed, as it was last year.

At last week’s meeting he called for the engineers in Kilkenny to work more closely with the Callan Thomastown area engineer “so this doesn’t happen again next year.”

He asked if the new project would require planning permission.
Ms Shortall said it may not have to seek planning permission if it is ruled river maintenance, but until the detailed project proposal is complete they won’t be sure.

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Cllr Lyons said the new plan is being talked about as a ‘better plan’ and Ms Shortall agreed it would be enhanced.
Area engineer, Declan Murphy, pointed out that work was done to clear silt from the eyes of the bridge last year and now that is building up again. He said there were hurdles to be jumped but, hopefully, with approval from the department and funding the new project will be a solution to the problem.

Ms Shortall said the new project will look at a long-term management plan for the river and this delay “could be the best thing” to happen to the project.
The new project plan could see the addition of rock armour to the river banks and a narrowing of the river bed to increase water flow, as a more permanent solution to prevent ongoing silt build-up.