Detailed design work is to begin on the Hawick Flood Protection Scheme after Councillors gave preliminary approval to the project.

The scheme, which will help protect over 900 properties from a 1 in 75 year flood event, still has to pass two more stages before main works can get underway. However, the council has now started setting-up the new working groups which were agreed with the public of Hawick during the project's objections consideration period.

After the development was published for public review in April, 48 objections were submitted including eight from individuals or businesses within the construction and/or flood zones.

The project team has since been carrying out discussions with the objectors and local community, including three additional public consultation events held in August which attracted over 260 people. As a result, the eight individuals and businesses from within the construction and/or flood zones have removed their objections.

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The development also does not require to be forwarded to the Scottish Ministers for consideration as it did not receive any objections from the statutory stakeholders.

Cllr Gordon Edgar said the scheme has support from "large swathes" of the community, including the Hawick Flood Group and all of Hawick’s councillors.

"Valid concerns were also raised about the scheme but thankfully a sufficient number of objectors engaged proactively with the Council to allow the project team to fully understand the written concerns," he said.

"We greatly appreciate this engagement and hope the objectors and many other people from the town will get involved in the new working groups."

The Traffic Management Working Group will work on minimising potential impact to traffic and pedestrian movement during the construction period, while the Community Vision Working Group will work alongside the project team to examine how local landscape can be tailored to meet the needs of the community once the flood protection scheme is completed.

In particular, the project team will initially focus on;

• Common Haugh

• Little Haugh

• Mansfield Road

• Duke Street

• Weensland

• Volunteer Park/Wilton Park area

Conor Price, Senior Project Manager for the Hawick Flood Protection Scheme, said the project team "need people from across the town to be involved".

"I believe we have the structure for an excellent project that can not only deliver the flood protection the town deserves but also enhance the many notable features of the town and its river corridor," he said.

"That said, we must not rest on our laurels as there is a lot of hard work ahead to ensure that this becomes the best possible scheme for the town of Hawick."

(LM)