The Highland Council has awarded an £8.5m contract for the first phase of works to begin on the River Ness Flood Scheme.

The works will build flood defences on the River Ness, Inverness, to protect 800 homes and 200 businesses. The first stage of development – between Ness Bridge and Friars Bridge – will also include streetscape features and public art.

This follows on from the enabling works which were undertaken between October 2012 and April 2013 to divert existing utilities, such as water, gas ad electricity supplies, along the route of the flood walls.

Construction and infrastructure company Morgan Sindall is due to start work on the East Bank (city centre side) from mid-August with the West Bank (Huntly Street) beginning in October. This will avoid major disruption in the build up to the Christmas period and during the second phase of the resurfacing of Kessock Bridge which is expected to take place from February to July 2014.

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A second phase of flood defence construction, due to go out to tender later this year, will continue with the protection of homes and businesses from Friars Bridge to the mouth of the river.

The overall scheme has been given a completion date of spring 2015.

Morgan Sindall will present its detailed programme of works at a pre-construction Public Exhibition at the Town House, Inverness, on Friday 26 July, between noon and 7pm.

The exhibition will also include displays for Phase 2, and will be attended by The Highland Council's project team and design consultant, Mott Macdonald.

Project Sponsor Matt Smith, Principal Engineer in the Council's Flood Team, said: "Anyone with an interest in the Flood Scheme is welcome to drop in to the exhibition, but we are particularly keen for any businesses, organisations or individuals who feel they may be affected by this next phase of works to come along. This is their chance to meet the key personnel involved in taking the project forward and raise any issues they may have with the works."

Neil Duncan, Area Director for Morgan Sindall, added: "We are delighted to be working on this major improvement to the city's flood defences. Morgan Sindall has an office in the city from where our work will be managed, and we have extensive experience of working on similarly high-profile, ambitious schemes, such as the Inverness Campus project, where the Morgan Sindall team is currently on-site.

"We are accustomed to working on challenging projects on this scale and we're pleased to be able to use our skills and expertise to assist in protecting the city and its people."

(JP/CD)