Rebuilding flood-ravaged Brechin homes not ‘suitable’ in the long term

Rebuilding flood-ravaged Brechin homes is “not suitable” in the long-term says former Angus Council leader Beth Whiteside.

The local authority is set to launch a public consultation which will seek the views of those in the town most effected by the damage wreaked by Storm Babet.

This includes those living in River Street, where more than 100 homes suffered significant damage. Dozens still remain empty.

Experts drafted in by Angus Council have put forward a number of proposals which they say could address the problem.

This includes potentially remodelling or demolishing flood damaged properties.

‘Can’t pre-empt what will happen’

But councillor Beth Whiteside, housing spokesperson for the administration, admitted rebuilding homes in the flood-ravaged area would not be a “sensible” long-term option.

“I don’t want to pre-empt what happens but it’s going to be a vulnerable area”, she said.

“It’s been vulnerable in the past many times and it’s going to continue to be regardless of what mitigations are put in place.

“So that’s why we are looking at the town as a whole and asking people what is the best way forward because potentially there are other areas more suitable for housing.”

Angus Council could be looking at a price tag of around £17 million if they were to return the flood-damaged houses back to their original state.

It would be bad news for a local authority facing £37.5m funding gap over the next three years.

Opposition councillors are putting pressure on the council to seek financial help from the Scottish government.

But councillor Whiteside admitted there is no guarantee such assistance would be forthcoming.

She said: “Funding is the big question.

“We have delayed a lot of our new builds schemes because of the constraints on funding but also the building inflation we’ve had recently.

“But we will have to bite the bullet and start some construction at some point in the future.

“We would be hoping to get some assistance directly from the government but there is nothing guaranteed at this stage.”

Additional flood measures proposed

Brechin locals are also expected to be asked their views on possible measures to hold back future storm waters.

This includes raising the height of the town’s £16m flood defence wall or reducing the gravel bank in the South Esk to river level.

However, councillor Whiteside said the local authority has to be realistic about what can be achieved.

The Monifieth and Sidlaw representative added: “(Storm Babet)  wasn’t a failure of the flood defence system – it was the severity and the sheer volume of water.

“I don’t think anything like that was predicted when the system was put in place and things have changed so rapidly in that time.

“So it’s just looking at all possible scenarios and what is realistic.”