A £300,000 pilot will test collective property-level flood protection for around 30 businesses in Newry. The scheme is intended to reduce the amount of water entering individual premises while also coordinating measures across a group of neighbouring commercial properties.
Property-level protection can include demountable barriers, sealed openings, non-return valves and changes to vulnerable service points. The correct combination depends on each building and the route by which water reaches it, so surveys and installation standards are a central part of the pilot.
The Department for the Economy is supporting the project with the Department for Infrastructure, Newry Business Improvement District and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. The partners will use the pilot to assess practical installation, maintenance, business participation and the limits of measures at individual premises.
More than £5 million in support had previously been directed towards businesses following the severe flooding of 2023. The new pilot is different from an immediate recovery grant: it is preventative work intended to reduce future damage and shorten the time needed for a business to reopen.
Property barriers cannot replace river, drainage and catchment infrastructure, and they do not remove all risk. Their value lies in adding a final line of defence where water reaches a building. Findings from the Newry group will inform whether a similar model could be used in other commercial centres.