No further Bandon Angling compensation agreed, OPW confirms
Response from the Office of Public Works on several issues raised by our recent news story on Bandon Flood Relief Scheme.
No second sum paid out to angling club
A second claim for compensation submitted by Bandon Angling Association to the OPW emerging from damage to the riverbanks and fishing access following the Bandon Flood Relief Scheme has not been settled.
Following on from revelations in our recent news story that the fishing club had been in receipt of €19,500 in compensation from the Office of Public Works in advance of the controversial flood works, the OPW has said that no further compensation has been paid to the sporting club, despite the BAA requesting a second, undisclosed sum in October 2019.
The BAA cited continuous disruption to their fishing as well as unsafe river access following the flood relief works while seeking further compensation.
“The Office of Public Works does not regularly make compensations payments of this kind,” the OPW press spokesperson said in an email.
“This was a one-off contribution, which was in this case considered reasonable as the Bandon Anglers Association had invested a considerable sum in river enhancements before the scheme works affected their fishery.”
OPW took “immediate action” to repair fish pass
Communications released under the Freedom of Information act also revealed that €80,000 was spent on repairing the fish pass installed on the river, which failed this spring and started trapping juvenile fish above and below the large concrete structure.
Email threads seen under FOI demonstrate a series of warnings by BAA members to the OPW about the need for urgent action on repairs to the fish pass during spring 2021.
The OPW confirmed that Inland Fisheries Ireland first notified them of the fish pass failure on March 10.
But by April 6 the fish pass had not been repaired and a member of BAA emailed OPW staff saying it was “unbelievable to think we are now in this current situation where fish cannot migrate up a fish pass and for the last month nothing has been done on the ground to rectify it” and warning of “disastrous ecological consequences” if no action was taken.
“The Office of Public Works took immediate action to rectify the situation at the fish pass,” the OPW press spokesperson wrote in response to Tripe + Drisheen’s questions regarding the month-long delay, during which time the OPW was carrying out inspections, seeking a solution and conducting an Appropriate Assessment Screening, in line with the requirements of the Habitats Directive.
“A contractor was appointed to carry out the works following a short procurement process. Following consultations with landowners for access for the proposed works and following environmental approval, the emergency works were successfully completed on the night of 27th April.”
“By any reasonable standards, the process to assess the problem, design an emergency repair solution, undertake the required environmental assessments, and procure a contractor to complete the works in line with Public Procurement Procedures was without delay.”
With the fish pass repairs already having cost €80,000, further works are still needed to complete the repairs to the flood-damaged fish pass. These are set to be completed in summer 2022.
No representative of the BAA has been available for comment on the current state of play for the river despite numerous attempts to contact via phone, email and text message.
Really good to have highlighted this and really revealing that BAA has not been in communication with you, and also that the OPW has so staunchly denied any delay in the implementation of repairs. Please keep this pressure up on organisations like the OPW to become properly accountable. There are all too many examples of ecological destructiveness in relation to natural and build heritage management by OPW, and there needs to be a rapid change in culture if we have any hope in mitigating the disastrous consequences of such rampant ignorance in the past, and up to now.