PLANS are progressing on a project to alleviate flooding in the Finaghy area.
NI Water is currently investing £8 million over two years in the Sicily/Marguerite Park project.
Flooding has been an ongoing concern in the area over recent years.
Visiting the project Communities Minister and MLA for South Belfast Deirdre Hargey said: “Flooding is one of the most serious problems in South Belfast – especially in the Balmoral constituency. We know that this has been a burden on so many homes and businesses in the area.”
Under the plans NI Water are to build 1.3km of new sewer piping up to 1500mm in diameter which will run from the Groveland’s area of Musgrave Park, through the grounds of the park, Musgrave Park Hospital and Malone College and under the railway track into Marguerite Park.
NI Water are planning on constructing over half of the new pipes using trenchless tunnelling techniques which will aim to reduce as much disruption as possible within the area of the Park and Hospital.
Work began on the project in April and by January 2022 four out of the six planned sections of tunnelling will be completed with the final works on private land near Diamond Gardens underway.
Councillor Geraldine McAteer of Sinn Féin who attended the works with Deirdre Hargey said “it was very heartening to witness the progress being made on the Sicily/Marguerite Park Flood Alleviation Project in Musgrave Park.
"NI Water hosted the visit and we had the opportunity to meet the engineers and workers on site and be shown the tunnelling operation and central control area. The engineering operation is hugely impressive and I was very impressed by the fact that the engineers managed to avoid the destruction of many mature trees in Musgrave Park while tunnelling during the Grovelands section of the Project.”
Whilst this project will currently only address flooding concerns in Marguerite Park, there have been calls from all parties to see the implementation of Phase 2 which will seek to address flooding in Orchardville, Ardmore, Ashton, Upton and districts in the Upper Lisburn Road which also suffer similar problems with flooding.
