Flood protection for 10,000 homes in Scotland

A ten year strategy will see 10,000 homes in Scotland benefiting from a £42M a year plan to protect homes in flood-prone areas.

Following an agreement between the Scottish Government and council body COSLA, flood-prone communities across Scotland are to get a share of £420M, over ten years to prevent flooding.

The agreement, which the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said would give local authorities the certainty they need to deliver local flood management plans, includes £42M a year, which over ten years will be used for 40 new flood protection plans.

As part of the agreement, the flood protection work from 2016/2017 onwards will reflect the priorities set out in the 14 flood risk management strategies published in December 2015, and the more detailed local flood management plans from June 2016.

The First Minister said that a further 130 flood protection studies will also be carried out to help find possible solutions for around 26,000 homes that are also at risk of being caught up in the floods.

The announcement was made during Sturgeon’s visit to Newton Stewart, which was hit hard by the floods over the New Year.

She said: “As I walked down the high street, what struck me was the resilience of this small community as they supported each other.

“Seven months on and the community have rallied round and businesses are getting back on their feet and returning to normal. However, the implications of the storm will be felt for a while yet and we need to work together to minimise any potential future disruption.”

Councillor Stephen Hagan, COSLA Spokesperson for Development, Economy and Sustainability said: “Protecting communities is at the heart of what local government does and is the reason why local government has committed this substantial resource for flood protection. Climate change, and the associated increase in flooding events, poses a significant national risk. This is why investment in flood protection schemes and associated infrastructure is critical to protecting vulnerable householders, businesses and communities, and why the strong working relationship between local and Scottish Government is so important.”

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