Any of the proposals originally put to Dublin City Council for flood defences in Clontarf, other than the one eventually selected by the council, would be acceptable to the local residential and businesses associations.
The associations have said that they would be in favour of an option that would see the level of the seawall raised along with the promenade footpath. Instead the council has chosen to raise a grass embankment between the road and promenade.
A spokeswoman for the residents association said today that both options provide the same level of flood defence and that both were presented to the council by the Dutch engineering firm who presented four options to the council.
The difference between the two options now being suggested, according to the spokeswoman, was that the residents' association preferred option would maintain views of Dublin Bay and would eliminate the need to create areas along the promenade that would be invisible form the road, creating a security risk to walkers.
After a large protest demonstration last month attended by over 3,000 people, the council has redesigned their preferred proposal, lowering the height of the defences from the maximum of 2.75m permitted by An Bord Pleanála to a maximum of 2.17m.
In the first of a series of information briefings, the council last night presented residents with a montage of pictures of what the redesigned flood defences would look like. They also presented a video of what the effect would be, which the local associations agree provides a good basis for what the council's proposed defences would actually look like.
The briefings, during which residents are shown the potential effect of flooding on their properties, continue tonight from 7pm-9pm, Saturday from 11am-2pm and next Wednesday from 7pm-9pm in Clontarf Castle.
The associations remain opposed to the grass mound proposal and are holding rival briefing meetings at the same times in a separate conference room in the castle. They have also provided a video of what the alternative raised wall proposal that they favour would look like.
Earlier today, councillors were invited to a special private information briefing by the council in Clontarf Castle. Cllr Pat Crimmins and Cllr Nial Ring were the only two councillors to attend. A representative of Bríd Smith was also in attendance.
Last night, the five local councillors for the Clontarf area, Cllr Deirdre Heney, Cllr Jane Horgan-Jones, Cllr Damian O’Farrell, Cllr Naoise O’Muiri and Cllr Gerry Breen, were all in attendance at the public information briefing.