Scottish Water says new doors can help protect a Perth care home from future flooding events.
Owners of homes in Barossa Place were left “devastated” after flooding on October 8 2023 caused widespread damage.
And properties in the road, close to the North Inch, were again swamped when Storm Gerrit brought torrential rain to Perth on December 27 last year.
Now Scottish Water hopes new doors can protect a care home on Barossa Place.
Perth floods caused by ‘stormwater surcharges from manholes’
It has applied for planning consent to install replacements at St Johnstoun’s Nursing Home on 9-11 Barossa Place.
Scottish Water‘s supporting statement said that the property, and numbers 5A and 7 Barossa Place, has been hit with wastewater flooding on “several occasions” since 2012.
It added: “During heavy rainfall events stormwater surcharges from manholes within the properties gardens which eventually breaches the front and rear door thresholds.
“The floodwater enters the properties via doorways resulting in flooding of the lower basement properties.
“The flooding has occurred on several occasions since 2012.
“Climate change is widely accepted as contributing to the frequency and severity of heavy rainfall and storm events which can result in flooding.”
St Johnstoun’s Nursing Home could have ‘repeated protection’ from doors
Scottish Water says it has been deploying StormMeister flood doors for more than a decade.
If given approval, four would be installed in the basement level of the care home.
“Their deployment has provided repeated protection to a large number and to a variety of properties, including properties which are in built heritage and conservation areas,” the statement continued.
“These flood doors can be manufactured to almost any requirement…and be deployed within two to three months of customer and planning authority approvals.
“Once installed the flood doors become the property of the building owner.
“However Scottish Water will inspect, maintain, and repair the flood doors in accordance with the manufacturer’s directions and will be added to our maintenance programme.”
Barossa Place swamped after floodgates left open
The proposal comes four months after Perth and Kinross Council admitted it was wrong to leave the North Inch floodgates open on the October 7-8 weekend.
The council apologised and said a delay in closing the floodgates may have been a factor in the flooding at Barrosa Place and other local roads.
Barossa Place resident Derek Swan, who owns Perth City Apartments on Barossa Place with his wife Sarah, said the October flooding was like no other in their 24 years at the property.
“All this mess could have been prevented if someone had acted faster,” he added.
Conversation