Angus Council has announced that a £12 million project designed to protect hundreds of homes in the Arbroath area from the potentially devastating impact of flooding will begin this spring.

Arbroath (Brothock Water) Flood Protection Scheme – funded by Scottish Government and Angus Council – has been designed to reduce the risk of flooding in the coastal town, providing a one in 200-year standard of protection. The scheme is a national priority project under the Flood Risk Management Strategy and has been developed in partnership with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

It is focused on holding flows back in the catchment above Arbroath to protect parts of the town that have suffered from flooding in the past and remain at risk from flooding.

Simply put, it will remove the threat of flooding and for 530 people and their properties, preventing flood damage that averages at £840,000 each year.

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Contracts are out to tender and will be awarded shortly for a project that will take approximately 14-months to complete.

The Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 introduced a new approach to flood risk management in Scotland.

The Act introduces a more sustainable and modern approach to flood risk management, suited to the needs of the 21st century and to the impact of climate change.

The protection scheme at Arbroath is designed around controlling the volume of water entering the Brothock during extreme weather.

To manage increased water volumes, three flood storage areas will be built at Brothock Meadows, St Vigeans and Hercules Den – using raised embankments and flow controls to retain flood water above the natural ground level during flood events. By doing this, the water flow and volume entering the Brothock can be controlled to limit the onward flows avoid the water course bursting its banks.

Existing defences in Arbroath will also be improved through a combination of new flood walls and enhancements to existing defences, such as reinforcing and raising walls.

Recent years have seen considerable consultation ongoing at a local level between Angus Council, SEPA, local groups, organisations, land and property owners and residents with the aim of raising awareness and facilitating feedback from those most directly affected by the project.

That close interaction will continue during the work and beyond the completion of the scheme in the summer of 2021 to ensure the public are aware of the works and how they will protect Arbroath from flooding.

Project staff will also be involved in awareness raising and engagement initiatives, with local schools and community groups, focusing on the scheme itself, as well as environmental, ecological and broader educational opportunities.

(MH/CM)