Cash bid for flood works
Finance for further measures to prevent flooding in a Hillfoots village is being sought.
It follows the decision by Clackmannanshire Council to approve a number of flood mitigation measures for Tillicoultry.
An application for money to pay for them is being submitted to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
Engineers have just completed a flood risk study in Tillcoultry. The study had been given a high priority in a flood risk management plan for the Forth following a series of flooding incidents in the town.
It was determined that the main potential sources of flooding for the area are identified as the River Devon and two burns coming down from the Ochil Hills.
Engineers said the town remained at risk of flood even though some mitigation measures had already been introduced.
These included the creation of a pumping station and assisting in the formation of the community flood resilience group, TIDECO.
The study recommends that for a ‘cost effective project that maintains a 200year standard of protection’ the flood protection scheme should involve:
• River Devon: raising the path alongside the River Devon by 300 millimetres, replacing an embarkment near Sterling Furniture and constructing a flood wall on both left and right banks adjacent to Sterling Mills.
•Tillicoultry Burn: raising the burn wall by 900 millimetres along the length of the burn and road-raising work at the entrance to Hareburn Road.
The scheme will now be submitted to SEPA for inclusion in the second cycle of flood risk management plans for 2022-2028.
Council officials say the next flood risk management plan for the Forth will set out the proposed implementation arrangements for the flood scheme in Tillicoultry, including timescales and how it will be funded. The next phases of work to develop the flood scheme proposals will commence in 2022.
Engineers who carried out the study also recommended that the council should consider other nonstructural measures outside a formal scheme.
They includes regular review of emergency plans, SMS based alert system and the implementation of a flood pod system or property level protection and the investigation of natural flood management measures.
Councillor Donald Balsillie, convener of the council’s place committee, said: “The flood study has provided comprehensive information on what further work can mitigate against the risk of flooding in Tillicoultry.
“While the scheme goes forward for national prioritisation, the council is already making progress on the recommended nonstructural measures. Work has also been ongoing in partnership with the community for some time to mitigate against the risk, and the development of the TIDECO group is very impressive.”