Flooding fears still not allayed

Acting Chief Executive Rodger McKnight agreed to contact the body in the wake of concerns raised by Alderman for the area, Martin Clarke, on behalf of local residents at last Monday night’s monthly meeting.

Ald Clarke said people living at Toome Road had complained to him about “a lack of communication” from NIW and felt that the body “has let them down again for the second time in two years”.

“NIW promised a scheme in August 2013 which had not started by June 2014, then it was to be carried out before the end of 2014. We are coming into 2015 and the question is - ‘is the scheme done or is it not done?,” said Ald Clarke who went on to call for the quarterly multi-agency meetings on flooding related issues to resume in Ballymena “as soon as possible”.

The quarterly meetings, involving Council, NIW and Transport NI, were kickstarted last summer in the wake of a deluge on June 8 which flooded homes and blocked roads in many parts of Ballymena following almost two hours of heavy rainfall.

The torrential rain badly hit homes in the Harryville area and saw homes in Toome Road/Queen Street flooded for the fifth time in six years.

Following confirmation from Councillors Maurice Mills, Beth Adger and Timothy Gaston that the last such meeting had been held at ecos on September 18, Mr McKnight said contact would be made with NIW for an ‘an update in terms of its position’ and in relation to the next inter-agency meeting which, he added, was due to take place shortly.