A new report that focuses on the threat of global warming on Ennis is recommending that certain areas zoned for industry, community and limited residential housing be designated a 100-year flood-risk area.
The report, Ennis Main Drainage - Lower Fergus Floodplain Storage Area, which has yet to be published, recommends that 210 acres be excluded from development. It is recommending extending tidal barrage works and further channel works, costed at €14 million.
The report states that "authoritative climate change research suggests that Ennis may be subject to a 20 per cent increase in extreme rainfall and a 0.48m increase in sea levels over the next 100 years.
"The greatest climate change influence on flooding in the Lower River Fergus will come from higher sea levels decreasing the draw down of storage waters during low tides and will dramatically increase the amount of storage required."
In relation to zoning, it is recommending that landowners with "other settlement land" which allows limited residential housing be removed through the extension of the development exclusion area, until such time as the council puts in place the €14 million works.
The report is recommending that "other settlement land" be removed from all landholdings on the Gaurus flood plain to the north east of Ennis.
Councillor Johnny Flynn (FG), whose home was flooded in previous years, said yesterday: "While we have had all these reports, what has happened on the ground? The country is overrun with reports and a town the size of Ennis should have had its flooding problems addressed by now.
"It is now 12 years since the first flooding event in 1995 and we had two very significant flooding events in 1999 and 2000, while for the last number of winters, we have been very fortunate that Ennis has not been flooded."
