Flood-hit Aberdeen fails to win Holyrood funding

A CITY hit by floods during Storm Frank will miss out on government funding towards protection schemes for homes and businesses.

Scores of houses were affected after both the River Dee and Don burst their banks in Aberdeen after the storm wreaked havoc across Scotland three weeks ago.

The Scottish Government launched a £235 million national flood risk management plan to invest in flood protection measures for vulnerable communities.

Plans to build 42 flood protection schemes and a range of other flood alleviation measures over the next five years were announced last week.

However, the management plan does not include any schemes for Aberdeen, despite the city being badly hit by the December storm.

Families were evacuated from homes in Holburn Street near the River Dee and businesses were also hit by floods. Under the new plan communities badly affected by flooding across Scotland will be given either Holyrood or the Scottish Environment Protection Agency funding. The Scottish Government said projects were put forward by local authorities themselves.

However, senior city councillors claimed that schemes for the River Dee had been put forward to government planners but had not been given the go ahead.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said:“The flood risk management strategy for the North East includes the potential for a flood protection scheme for Peterculter and sets out the work that Aberdeen City Council will have to take forward over this period to ascertain which scheme might be appropriate in future.”