Dozens of Brechin council homes are still unoccupied due to damage sustained during Storm Babet.
And the Scottish Government has told Angus Council it will not foot the bill for new builds if the 60 properties cannot be reinstated.
But it could be months before the authority decides what will happen to the houses in the area of River Street which bore the brunt of the October devastation.
More than 300 properties in Brechin and beyond were affected by the storm.
The epicentre of the disaster was in the immediate vicinity of Brechin’s £16 million flood defences.
Record levels in the River South Esk topped the flood wall in the early hours of October 20.
Many people had to be rescued by boat.
The huge damage bill is still being calculated by the council.
Repair projects are ongoing at key locations like Brechin Bridge.
Multi-million pound support scheme claim
The UK Government extended the claim window for its Bellwin support scheme due to the impact on Angus.
But council officials are now warning it will be up to the authority to find the money to rebuild – if the Brechin houses are worth reinstating.
And it will come at a cost to the area’s wider future housing programme.
Finance and communities directors say in a joint report it will mean “difficult decisions” around the council’s strategic housing investment plan (SHIP).
The situation is highlighted in a rent-setting report councillors will consider on Tuesday.
It recommends a 6.7% rent rise for 2024/25.
The report states: “Whilst finalising the SHIP, Storm Babet hit communities across Angus with Brechin particularly badly affected.
“It was too early to say what impact the storm would have on the new build programme at that time.
“Since the storm our focus has been responding to the immediate needs of our customers.
“However, as a council we are moving through the next phase of recovery considering what the future may look like for River Street, Brechin and the surrounding affected areas.”
‘Difficult decisions’
“At this time the Scottish Government has indicated there will be no additional money to fund new housing development in Brechin if it is not possible to reinstate flood-affected properties.
“This means that difficult decisions may need to be made about priorities for new-build housing investment to deal with the medium and longer-term implications of the storm and the future impacts of climate change.
“An options appraisal is to be commissioned early in 2024 to inform the decisions that will need to be made.”
And the council confirmed the scale of the properties which could be involved.
A spokesperson said: “There are 60 badly flood-damaged homes that will be included in the options appraisal exercise.
“We won’t be in a position to make decisions about individual properties until that has been completed.”
One flood-damaged private house on River Street is heading to auction soon with a guide price of just £15,000.
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