The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Council pays out over flood work
More than £34,000 in damage compensation handed over
Cash-strapped Perth and Kinross Council has been forced into paying tens of thousands of pounds to people whose homes, gardens and property were damaged during the construction of flood defences.
Residents living near the newly-completed flood works in Almondbank have complained about gardens being cut in two, private vehicles splashed with concrete and the needless destruction of mature woodland next to the £25 million defences.
Those affected have warned Comrie residents – where work will shortly begin on a similar project – to be on their guard.
The exact details of the compensation claims are not known, but council bosses have already paid out more than £34,000 with more than £6,000 in claims still outstanding.
Ken Simpson, chairman of Methven and District Community Council, said: “I can only hope for the residents of Comrie that there is more communication and dialogue with their flood defences than we have had.”
Angry residents living near the newly-completed flood defences in Almondbank have won more than £40,000 in compensation for the damage done to their homes and gardens during the works.
A request under Freedom of Information legislation shows Perth and Kinross Council officials have already paid four claims amounting to £34,265 with two claims still outstanding, taking the compensation total to £40,764.
The council is consulting with the community in Comrie over the design of similar flood defences in the town.
The £25 million Almondbank scheme opened at the start of December 2018 with environment convener Angus Forbes hailing the “greater assurance and peace of mind to the residents and communities of Almondbank and Lochty”.
The scheme safeguards the floodprone areas with improvements such as flood walls, raised embankments and erosion protection measures.
Contractors Balfour Beatty also replaced two road bridges over the East Pow Burn and a footbridge on the River Almond.
Community representatives were quick to criticise the scheme, claiming the work was still not complete and contractors had been unresponsive, and highlighting the damage done to gardens and to the environment.
The details of the claims are confidential but residents spoke about gardens being cut in two, vehicles being splashed with concrete and mature woodland being needlessly felled.
Ken Simpson, chairman of Methven and District Community Council, said: “I can honestly say that for the past two years the majority of time at our meetings has been taken up with complaints about the defences.”
He said they have had a number of meetings with Balfour Beatty and the council but “we have found that what is promised is not always delivered”.
“There are still minor works to be carried out that have been promised and I can only hope for the residents of Comrie that there is more communication and dialogue with their flood defences than we have had,” he added.
A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said: “The Almondbank Flood Protection Scheme was undertaken to protect homes and businesses from the significant impact of flooding, following a history of serious flooding events being experienced in 1993, 1999, and more recently in January 2011.
“The council is currently dealing directly with a small number of individual claimants who experienced varying degrees of disruption from the works. ”
A Balfour Beatty spokeswoman declined to comment.
“I can honestly say that for the past two years the majority of time at our meeting has been taken up with complaints about the defences. KEN SIMPSON, METHVEN AND DISTRICT COMMUNITY COUNCIL CHAIRMAN