THE Scottish Government has been accused of leaving communities at risk of flooding because of “glacial progress” on protection schemes.
The Liberal Democrats levelled the charge after official figures showed just seven of the 42 schemes earmarked in 2015 for delivery by 2021 have so far been finished.
A further seven are under construction, nine are are merely “confirmed” and the remaining 19 are “under development”.
In addition, the costs of many of the schemes have surged since they were announced, with the total forecast of £402m made by councils in 2016/17 now estimated at £632m.
However cost estimates for two schemes – one a completed one in Broxburn, and planned work on the Water of Leith - were not supplied.
The 42 plans were “prioritised” by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) and “identified for delivery between 2016 and 2021 subject to the provision of funding by the Scottish Government and local authorities”.
Among the projects are a flood protection scheme in Hawick in the Borders that is designed to offer protection to 900 properties.
Its cost has more than doubled from its initial estimate of £37.4m to £80m, and is due to be completed by the winter of 2022.
The cost of a flood projection scheme in Grangemouth in the Falkirk Council area that is is under development has also risen from £111.5m to £220m.
The figures and dates were released in response to parliamentary questions.
Scottish LibDem environment spokeswoman Molly Nolan said: “In Sepa’s own words, these were 42 prioritised flood protection schemes identified for delivery between 2016 and 2021.
“This new research shows only a handful are completed. That’s glacial progress.
“Communities across Scotland are being left vulnerable each winter that passes without this work.
“We saw again last winter just how damaging flooding can prove to whole towns and regions.
“From Aberdeenshire to the Borders, communities can’t forget how damaging floods can be to their homes and businesses. Each downpour or storm can cause anxiety.”
She added: “Flooding has become all too frequent a hazard in recent years. That’s only going to get worse while the climate emergency deepens. The Scottish Government must make sure that local authorities have the resources they need to protect our communities and ensure that these projects are delivered at speed.”
Answering the parliamentary questions, the Scottish Government said the initial costs were based on costs provided by local authorities in 2016/17.
Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: “The 14 Flood Risk Management Strategies published by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in December 2015 set objectives and measures for the management of flood risk for potentially vulnerable areas.
“SEPA prioritised 42 flood protection schemes for inclusion within Flood Risk Management Strategies published in 2015. Local authorities are expected to start work on development of the 42 schemes prioritised in this cycle but it is recognised that construction work may not be completed within that six-year timeframe.
“Flood protection schemes can have impacts on individuals, communities and the environment, and require careful and thorough planning.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel