A major flood prevention scheme in Arbroath is finally nearing completion after the £12 million build was delayed during the pandemic.
More than 500 residents of Arbroath are set to benefit from Brothock Water Flood Protection Scheme which should be finished by the end of the year.
The project was delayed in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but final stage work within the harbour town is now under way.
Jointly funded by the Scottish Government and Angus Council, the scheme is intended to provide a one-in-200 year (0.5% chance) standard of protection from floods.
Damage costing an average of £840,000 per year was previously caused in affected parts of the town.
Traffic management in Arbroath
Traffic management currently enables drivers to access East Grimsby on a one-way system off the A92 as final stages of the work is carried out.
Angus Council and project contractors Morrison Construction said they are working to minimise disruption in these final stages of the work.
The project aims to to hold the flow of water in a catchment area above Arbroath. An initial flood prevention scheme to contain the Brothock Burn within its banks was completed in 1987.
Work on floodwater storage areas at Brothock Meadows and St Vigeans is almost done. Seeding on embankments at these points is scheduled for the spring.
A flood storage area at Hercules Den is already complete.
The scheme was undertaken as part of the Flood Risk Management Strategy, developed with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency as a national priority project.
When the plans for the project were first made public in 2018, five valid objections were submitted during a public consultation period.
Fears over reduced privacy
In November the same year, the council’s roads and transportation service leader Walter Scott commented: “Discussions were held with the objectors to seek a full understanding of the reasons for the objections and to explore with each objector the opportunity to have the objections withdrawn, following which three of the five objections were formally withdrawn.”
Two locals represented the remaining pair. One explained that there was a risk of reduced privacy by building an embankment in the Park View area.
Additionally, there were concerns that the artificial mound cause the value of adjacent property to fall.
With these acknowledged, local authority officials told councillors that adaptations of the submitted plans were not necessary to counter the issues.
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