New plan aims to help end village’s flooding misery
Experts aim to reconnect canal, burn and loch
Engineers want to reconnect a canal, burn and loch in a bid to keep a village from flooding.
Planners have revealed a blueprint to link the three to protect Lochwinnoch from heavy rain and rising water.
An artificial bund and sluice will be removed to let Dubbs Water and the Roebank Burn rejoin Barr Loch.
Work will take place on a nature sanctuary managed by the RSPB to protect nearby homes, businesses and the A-road between the loch and Castle Semple.
A report lodged with Renfrewshire Council told how flood water is routed to the same point creating problems for those in the area.
It stated: “Flood peaks of all streams coincide at exactly the point of greatest flood risk – Lochwinnoch village and the main A-road.
“The storage offered by Barr Loch and the upper Dubbs Water floodplain is bypassed.
“Consequently current network morphology maximises flood risk in the most sensitive area.”
Under the proposals, flood water would be discharged at various points along the valley.
Experts maintain diverting channels to make better use of the loch’s storage capacity would limit run-off at key routes and near buildings.
Heavy rain sparks regular road closures in Lochwinnoch.
Main roads were left under kneehigh water when both Castle Semple Loch and Barr Loch burst their banks three years ago.
Improvements were carried out on the land in an attempt to safeguard the busy route in 2015.
It is used by train passengers, families, and birdwatchers and its footpath was raised by almost a metre in some stretches in an effort to keep traffic moving.
Commuters travelling by foot or by car to the nearby rail station are often blocked from reaching the platform due to huge puddles.