Aberdeenshire Council is to hold a public consultation event this week regarding a preferred Flood Protection Scheme in Stonehaven.

Throughout the past year, extensive work has been made to bring the project to this stage, including extensive hydrological modelling, topographic, structural, environmental and ground investigation surveys.

The aim of the scheme is to protect the town from flooding, while still preserving its unique characteristics and remaining mindful of the local environment. A few of the sensitive issues include trees, listed buildings, wildlife and Stonehaven's Conservation Area, and officers' preferred flood protection scheme includes direct defences that minimise visual impact, and solutions that retain existing trees where possible.

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One suggestion for the area are "floating walls"; that is, a wall within another wall, which rises with the water level. Subsequently, this would mean the views of the town's historic setting are preserved, compared to a more permanent wall of the necessary height that would not be as sympathetic to the environment.

Another idea is for several local bridges to be raised, or if this is not possible – such as Green Bridge – for a new bridge to be built. The use of flood storage has also been ruled out, as investigations at five sites revealed no location has sufficient storage.

Rachel Kennedy, Principal Engineer (Flood Protection - Major Works), explained: "We feel the work we've done so far on this significant project has helped us come up with some innovative solutions to the problems.

"The engineering solutions are harnessing technology while addressing the local environment and respecting the built heritage.

"We really do want to hear what people think about these proposals, to enable us to progress with confidence towards an effective solution for the town and start work on the ground."

The event runs from today (30 October) until noon on Saturday 2 November and will be held at the town's leisure centre.

(JP/IT)