Storm Debi: Major Galway housing projects earmarked for land where seawall collapsed

Politicians and planners need to “get real” on climate change as rising seas threaten the viability of one of Galway’s most sought-after development locations.

Storm Debi ripped through a 100 metre seawall on the coast road between Oranmore and Galway city on Sunday night.

Hundreds of homes have been constructed along this section of road over the past 15 years and it has been earmarked for a number of major housing projects expected to be commenced before 2030.

The seawall is also located directly beside Oranmore train station, which was officially opened by the then minister for transport Leo Varadkar in 2013, after a €4.8 million investment.

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Two large, 200 metre long, protective fences were damaged at the station on Sunday night, with large amounts of seaweed also washed into the station entrance and car park by the storm surge.

Iarnród Éireann is expected to lodge planning permission for the construction of a second platform at the station before Christmas.

Oranmore resident and Cathaoirleach of Galway County Council Liam Carroll said urgent action was needed to protect homes and infrastructure in the area.

“As the sea level rises and climate change kicks in, we can expect a lot more of this. We need to get real about climate change. We don’t want to be thinking about this in five years time, climate change is with us now,” the Fine Gael councillor said.

[ In pictures: Storm Debi leaves behind flooded businesses, fallen trees and marooned boats ]

“We have to look at this as a county council. As Cathaoirleach of Galway County Council, I will be pressing the management and executive of the council to take a serious and urgent look at this.

“We expect plans to be lodged for a second platform [at Oranmore train station] in the near future and that will lead to increased use of the train station. All of that area around the train station is going to be built on in the future, over the next six years, as part of the County Galway Development Plan.

“If we are to protect people, and protect houses and infrastructure, we are going to need to look at defence mechanisms to stop the tides coming in.”

Mr Carroll said a storm surge of this size had not been seen before in Oranmore.

“Speaking to locals in the area, they have never seen anything like this. There was a Storm Debbie back in 1961 but this one is much, much worse,” he said.

“It happened very fast, the storm was over in one hour and ten minutes, but the amount of devastation that was done in that one hour and ten minutes was phenomenal.”