LANGHOLM’S residents are to be consulted on a new flood protection scheme being considered for the town.
The council’s communities committee has announced that a series of engagement events detailing the proposed £10 million scheme will be held “in late summer”.
Local residents will be invited to view “on-site mock-ups of the defences” and attend drop-in sessions at Langholm’s Buccleuch Centre.
Further details about the events are expected to be announced by the local authority once Covid restrictions are eased further.
If approved, the defence would see one-to-two metre-high solid and glass walls and earth embankments run along Mary Street, Frances Street, Elizabeth Street, George Street, Caroline Street, Waterside and past the town’s sewage works.
In addition, a 50-metre-wide, shallow channel through Buccleuch Park to divert floodwater from the Wauchope into the Esk would be created.
The major scheme was first considered by Dumfries and Galloway Council after modelling identified Langholm as being susceptible to a “1 in 200 year” flood.
A community consultation with more than 150 of the town’s residents last year reported that 78 per cent of locals were in favour of the scheme going ahead.
However, it noted concerns over the visual impact, height of the walls and the potential impact on wildlife and aquatic habitat, whilst also reporting that some felt the threat of flooding in Langholm was being overstated.
The upcoming engagement events will be followed by a six-month environmental impact assessment and findings from both will be published by the council in 2022.
