A multi-million pound flood protection scheme for Stonehaven is to move forward following a public hearing.

The £14 – 16 million Stonehaven Flood Protection Scheme is designed to protect more than 300 homes, two public utility sites, a school and an emergency service site from flooding.

Key highlights of the development include;

• Alteration to five bridges along the River Carron; removing, replacing and raising the Red Bridge and Green Bridge; repositioning the Green Bridge; removing, refurbishing and reinstating the White Bridge in a raised position; replacing the Bridgefield Bridge parapet with a reinforced glass type material; and raising and widening the Beach Bridge

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• Construction of flood walls between the Red Bridge and the river mouth

• The island downstream of the Green Bridge will be removed

• Installation of two higher capacity culverts on the Glaslaw Burn

Following a public hearing in march, a Scottish Government Reporter Martin H Seddon has recommended plans should continue as objections to the scheme did not provide sufficient grounds for modifying or refusing the project.

Issues raised at the Hearing included:

• Visual appearance of the scheme

• Catchment upstream storage

• Impact on trees, wildlife and environmental quality

• Future maintenance of scheme walls

• Historic decisions regarding the rock armour at the river mouth

Principal Engineer (Major Projects), Rachel Kennedy, said: "We are obviously pleased with the outcome of the Public Hearing, because the Reporter’s recommendation allows us to progress this scheme if the Infrastructure Services Committee gives the go ahead in June.

"It was clearly important that objections to the scheme were properly investigated and weighed up against the benefits to the wider community and the extensive work we have done to this point means we should be able to move towards delivery of the Flood Protection Scheme on the ground with minimal delay."

(LM)