Tenders sought again for Bogganfin flood relief scheme

A bid by Roscommon County Council to construct a flood relief scheme in the townsland of Bogganfin, on the county border with Westmeath, has been re-tendered on the government's eTenders website for a second time in just over six months.

The council originally advertised for civil and engineering consultancy services for the project on the eTenders website in early May 2023 to address ongoing flooding issues in the rural townsland, with a response deadline of June 22. However, the project was re-advertised on eTenders just before Christmas with the time limit for the receipt of tenders listed as February 2 next.

The objective of the project is to identify, design and submit for planning consent a Flood Relief Scheme to alleviate the risk of flooding to the community of Bogganfin and to “procure, manage and oversee” the construction of such a scheme.

The area of land which is to be the subject of the proposed scheme stretches both sides of the railway line (to the river Shannon to the north) and into open countryside to the south, and from the roundabout at Ganly's on the N61 Roscommon Road just short of the Elm Close housing estate.

The projected timeframe for the scheme is three years and funding is to be provided by the Office of Public Works.

The tender documents list five separate stages for the flood relief scheme, beginning with “scheme assessment, development and design” and concluding with the handover of the completed project. However, the documents indicate that progression beyond stage one is “dependent on a number of factors” and that all stages of the project “may not be required.”

The second stage, which focuses on planning, mentions the possibility of oral hearings, compulsory purchases of lands required for the implementation of the preferred scheme, submission to an Bord Pleanala and further information requests.

The proposal for a flood relief scheme for the Bogganfin area is set agains the backdrop of the Shannon CFRAM Study Are, which identified the rural townsland on the Roscommon/Westmeath border as being within the Athlone AFA (Area for Further Assessment), and concluded that a flood relief scehem “would be viable and effective for the community.”

It is the intention of Roscommon County Council to appoint a single consulting firm to progress both the engineering and environmental elements of the flood relief scheme, and it is envisaged that stage one of the project will be completed within 15 to 21 months.

A steering group, comprising representatives from Roscommon County Council and other key stakeholders, is to be appointed, and regular progress reports are to be provided by way of presentations/updates to elected members of the council, liaison with Gardai in relation to traffic management and any landowners' issues.

Regular updates are also to be provided to members of the public with a detailed programme of extensive public consultation and stakeholder engagement forming part of the project.

The move to construct a flood relief scheme in Bogganin has been warmly welcomed by local Fine Gael Councillor, John Naughten, who said it is "very badly needed" to alleviate flooding in the area. "This work is very necessary as there is persistent flooding right throughout the whole area around Bogganfin" he said, while indicating that he will be "strongly supportive" of any project to address the issue.