Dumfries flood protection scheme taken forward

Councillors have voted to take forward a scheme designed to protect an area which has flooded more than 200 times since records began.

The cost of the Whitesands project in Dumfries has risen from £25m to £37m since it was approved in 2020.

It has faced opposition due to costs, visual impact and the loss of parking spaces in the area.

However, councillors voted by 22 votes to 21 to progress the scheme when they met in Dumfries.

Approval for the project was received from the Scottish government in March 2020 but its implementation was delayed due to Covid.

A change of council administration this year saw no development funding committed to the scheme but the local authority has now voted to take forward the plans.

The Whitesands area has suffered chronic flooding issues with the worst incident on record occurring in December last year.

Convener of Dumfries and Galloway Council, Malcolm Johnstone, said: "The Whitesands Flood Protection Scheme is a project that has been under development for a significant period of time.

"Flooding in this area of Dumfries has a long history and there was a healthy debate reflecting the diverse range of opinions in our community."

A meeting of the full council was presented with four options for the future of the project next to the River Nith.

These were to drop the scheme entirely, carry it on, review it or look at alternative plans.

The development will see a "raised walkway" built with a combination of walls, glass panels and flood gates providing flood protection.

It has been described as a "tried and tested" method of reducing flood risk.

However, its fate has been in doubt since a Conservative-led administration took over and committed no development funding to the plans.

It proposed carrying out a "gateway review" to look at the costs of the project and assess whether it should progress.

A Labour amendment to take forward the plans defeated the Conservative motion by a single vote.