Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Flood prevention plan welcomed
PLANS have been unveiled to tackle flooding at St Leonard Park in St Mary’s.
Scottish Water have outlined their designs for the Dundee park, which regularly suffers from flooding.
The plans will result in the Black Burn that currently runs beneath the park being uncovered to take water towards the Dighty Burn and help reduce the number of times the area floods.
Planners have also reimagined how the park could look, outlining a “biodiversity haven” for residents to enjoy.
Scottish Water has released a feasibility study on “sustainable drainage” at St Leonard Park.
As well as reintroducing the Black Burn, more green space will be introduced in the park, which should provide natural drainage.
Staff from Dundee City Council and NatureScot are also working on the project.
Planting should boost biodiversity, providing habitats for a range of insects, birds, mammals and amphibians.
Workers will also build more active travel paths.
If it all goes according to plan, the work will be complete by summer 2024, with construction beginning in the autumn of 2023.
Eddie Baines, who is a member of the local steering group consulted on the plans, was pleased to see residents’ suggestions included.
He said: “It seems Scottish Water have stuck to what the community asked for.
“The plans look really good and it appears to be thought out and will help with the flooding, so yes, we’re quite happy with it.”
Mr Baines said the work is vital as the drainage system is already overwhelmed.
He continued: “Every winter here there is pooling water on the grass.
“It’s always waterlogged, even when the rain isn’t that heavy.
“But when we do get heavy rain, the road gets affected.”
One concern Mr Baines still has is a lack of pedestrian access.
He said: “What’s the point in a nature park if people can’t walk to it? But we’ll raise that going forward and see what can be done.”
Can the project “transform the health and wellbeing” of the community?
Scottish Water strategic planner Dom McBennet certainly thinks so.
He said: “It’s a really innovative approach to the problem of flooding and surface water management.”
He added the St Mary’s work can “set a precedent” for similar projects in Dundee.
Dundee City Council’s development convener, Councillor Mark Flynn, described the plans as an “innovative” way of dealing with flooding while producing “eco-positive solutions borrowed from nature”.
“These will not only help protect property and people in the future, but also enhance the local environment and the way residents use it,” he said.