Funding for the Stonehaven Flood Protection Scheme has been approved, in principle, by Aberdeenshire Council it has been confirmed.

Last week, members of the Council's Policy and Resources Committee agreed to approve funding of between £14m and £16m for the project.

Officers were asked to look at all possible funding opportunities from the Scottish Government. The committee also heard that officers are in discussions with Cosla, which is responsible for identifying areas of priority for funding from underspend in the current flooding allocation.

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The preferred Stonehaven Flood Protection Scheme was first approved in principle by the Infrastructure Services Committee in December 2013. If discussions progress, and no objections to the legal Flood Order are raised, the scheme could be confirmed early next year.

This would allow construction work on the flood protection scheme to begin in late 2015, with the project taking around 18 to 24 months to complete.

To date, tenders have been sought for the next phase of work, and includes producing the detailed design, technical approvals and preparation of contract documentation. This phase of works is estimated to be £300,000.

(JP/MH)