PROPOSALS for a flood protection scheme in Langholm have been ditched due to rising costs and significant opposition from local residents.
Despite a last minute interjection from the SNP members, councillors ultimately voted to sink the plans at Dumfries and Galloway Council’s communities committee on Tuesday.
With initial costs of £2m in 2017 now being estimated at £10m, and 320 objections from people in the community, the decision was taken not to proceed with an application to the Scottish Government for 80 percent funding.
Langholm is considered to be an area with a high flood risk, although there is “no immediate risk of flooding”, according to council papers.
A full flood protection scheme would have resulted in the erection of walls and embankments, however the council will now seek to spend up to £40,000 on investigating on scaled-back flood resilience measures for properties most at risk in the town.
A council report on the matter states: “The council currently offer a subsidy scheme where residents can purchase flood gates. It is considered however that a more comprehensive property flood resilience (PFR) scheme could be progressed with the council purchasing and installing flood doors to properties, and if needed self-closing air bricks, and to work with Scottish Water to provide non-return valves on sewer network property connections.”
The consultants currently employed on the Langholm flood protection scheme say that the feasibility work to provide options for a PFR scheme would cost approximately £9000, with further work to provide a detailed proposal being approximately £20,000.
