Clackmannanshire Council Online

Council Approves Proposal for Flood Protection Scheme

A proposal for a flood protection scheme in Tillicoultry has been approved by Council, and will be submitted to SEPA for national prioritisation for grant funding.

This follows the completion of the Tillicoultry Flood Study by consulting engineers, which was required by the Forth Flood Risk Management Plan as the highest priority flood study in Clackmannanshire.  The main potential sources of flooding for the area are identified as the River Devon and two burns coming down from the Ochil Hills escarpment.

While the Council has been involved in a number of mitigation measures including a pumping station and assisting in the formation of the local community flood resilience group TIDECO, a flood risk remains.

The study recommends that for a cost effective project that maintains a 200 year standard of protection, the flood protection scheme should involve:

• River Devon: raising the Mixed Leisure Route by 300mm and replacing the informal Sterling Furniture embankment with a larger and more appropriately designed embankment and constructing a flood wall on both left and right banks adjacent to Sterling Mills. 
• Tillicoultry Burn: raising the burn wall by 900mm along the length of the burn and road raising works at the entrance to Hareburn Road.

The Tillicoultry scheme will now be submitted to SEPA for inclusion in the second cycle of Local Flood Risk Management Plans 2022-2028, where it will join flood protection schemes across Scotland for prioritisation.  The next Forth Local FRM Plan 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.

The study also recommended that the Council should consider non-structural measures outside of a formal scheme, and progress is being made on these.  This 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 Place Committee said: “The flood study has provided comprehensive information on what further work can mitigate against the risk of flooding in Tillicoultry, and I am pleased that the flood protection scheme proposal has been agreed by Council.  While the scheme goes forward for national prioritisation, the Council is already making progress on the recommended non-structural measures. Work has also been ongoing in partnership with the local community for some time to mitigate against the risk, and the development of the TIDECO group is very impressive.”