Question reference: S6W-12674
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Date lodged: 29 November 2022
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Current status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 14 December 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-04901 by Mairi McAllan on 24 December 2021, whether it will provide an update on which of the 42 formal flood protection schemes or engineering works are (a) under construction and (b) at the planning or other stage of development, broken down by (i) the expected completion date, including the reason for any date being beyond the 2021 timeframe, (ii) the number of properties that will be protected and (iii) the (A) initial forecast and (B) final expected cost of each.
Answer
Local authorities are responsible for the development and delivery of flood protection schemes. The 2015-2021 Flood Risk Management Strategies included 42 formal flood protection schemes. Local authorities were expected to start work on development of these schemes by 2021. However as flood protection schemes can have significant impacts on individuals, communities and the environment, and so require careful and detailed planning and consultation, it was recognised that construction work may not be completed within the 2015-2021 timeframe.
Schemes (a) under construction are as follows:
Scheme | (ii) Properties protected | (i) Completion Date | (iii A) Initial cost (£ million) (1) | ( iii B) Estimated final cost (£ million) (2) |
Upper Garnock | 600 | 2023 | 15.5 | 18.5 |
Hawick | 970 | 2023 | 37.4 | 78.6 |
Stonehaven | 376 | 2023 | 19.9 | 27.5 |
Caol and Lochyside | 296 | 2023 | 8.4 | 15.7 |
Arbroath | 530 | 2023 | 1.4 | 13.5 |
Campbeltown | 770 | 2023 | 9.3 | 15.2 |
Schemes (b) under development are as follows:
Scheme | Stage | (ii) Properties protected | (iii A) Initial cost (£ million) (1) | ( iii B) Estimated Final Cost of Scheme (2) |
Kilmacolm – Glenmosston Burn | Confirmed (3) | Not held | 0.5 | 0.5 |
Comrie | Confirmed (3) | 189 | 15.7 | 28.4 |
Millport Coastal | Confirmed (3) | 657 | 12.1 | 48.6 |
Dumbarton - Gruggies Burn | Confirmed (3) | 370 | 14.5 | 20.0 |
Quarrier’s Village | Confirmed (3) | 60 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
Dumfries - Whitesands | Confirmed (3) | 166 | 18.9 | 37.5 |
Water of Leith (Coltbridge, Gorgie, Saughton) Phase 3 | Confirmed (3) | 75 | Not held | Not held |
Mill Burn Millport | Confirmed (3) | 124 | 1.1 | 1.7 |
Musselburgh | Under development | 2500 | 8.9 | 95.9 |
Milnathort | Under development | 79 | 1.9 | 2.2 |
Stranraer | Under development | 350 | 0.4 | 1.2 |
Langholm | Under development | 200 | 2.0 | 15.5 |
Newton Stewart/ River Cree | Under development | 270 | 7.5 | 18.5 |
South Kinross | Under development | Not held | 3.2 | 3.8 |
Bridge of Allan | Under development | Not held | 4.4 | 17.3 |
Callander | Under development | 30 | 2.4 | 4.7 |
Haddington | Paused (5) | 320 | 8.5 | 8.5 |
Stirling | Paused (5) | 810 | 26.2 | 86.6 |
Grangemouth FPS | Paused (5) | 2980 | 111.5 | 420 (4) |
St Andrews - Kinness Burn | Paused (5) | 133 | 3.2 | 3.2 |
South Fords | Paused (5) | 58 | 1.4 | 1.4 |
Scone | Paused (5) | 44 | 0.7 | 0.8 |
(1) Note: Initial costs as provided by local authorities in 2016-17.
(2) Note: Final Scheme costs are the latest estimates provided by local authorities. Differences between these latest estimates and initial cost estimates arise because flood protection schemes are put forward for prioritisation at various stages of their development to fit with Flood Risk Management Planning cycle set out in the FRM Act. Costs are revised over time as designs are finalised and more detailed investigations are carried out and as new information emerges.
Schemes will only be taken forward for construction if they receive the necessary statutory and regulatory approvals so the expected completion date is not yet known.
More detailed information on each of the schemes can be obtained from the relevant local authorities whose responsibility it is to develop and deliver flood protection schemes and who are best placed to answer specific questions on each of the schemes.
(3) Note: Formally confirmed under Flood Risk Management Act (2009).
(4) Note: The reasons for cost variations set out in Note 2 also apply to Grangemouth Flood Protection Scheme. The presence of critical national infrastructure (port, refinery and fuel distribution) and the scale of the overall project (27km of defences) means that the variation may be larger than other flood protection schemes.
(5) Note: In July 2021 COSLA recommended to Scottish Ministers that the flood protection schemes prioritised in the first cycle which were not yet “legally committed” were paused and that a review of projects was undertaken to examine the status of each project and carry out an assessment of whether the project is still suitable to proceed. Six schemes remain paused and an SG/COSLA working group is now investigating ways to progress with the paused schemes and proposed schemes put forward for cycle 2.