Storm-wrecked sea defences will cost £500k to fix

THE bill for repairing Edinburgh's storm-ravaged coastal defences is set to run to more than £500,000, it has emerged.

• Some of the damage caused by storms between Granton and Cramond.

Heavy storms left widespread damage to the sea walls along much of the Capital's coastline earlier this year.

Now the city council is set to approve a series of measures to fix defences from Cramond to Eastfield, including 142,000 for repairs at Silverknowes promenade, one of the areas worst affected.

The bill has led the council to postpone other works, including planned improvements to a flyover on the A90 and re-aligning the sea wall at West Shore Road in Granton.

At the end of March, poor weather across Scotland saw a tidal surge coincide with the highest spring tides of the year.

The Firth of Forth was the worst-affected area in the country, with damage caused to the coast in Edinburgh, Fife and East Lothian. The council said the storms had left a number of "strategically important" locations unavailable for general use.

Now a list of works has been drawn up, including 120,000 for repairs at Joppa and 100,000 to replace sand lost from the east end of Portobello beach.

Added to the work at Silverknowes, and more work at Portobello, Seafield, Leith, Newhaven, Granton, Cramond and South Queensferry, the final bill is set to come to 558,000.

The money is coming from the council's Services for Communities budget, which will provide 214,000 and the City Development department, which will provide 344,000.

Work has already started on repairing the damage at Silverknowes, Joppa and Granton.

The council said it would be replenishing the beach at Portobello, adding it had put the work off until the winter months so as to not disrupt beach visitors during summer.

Priority works are also being carried out at the Boathouse Steps, Queensferry.

A council spokeswoman said: "The council has started essential and important repair work to coastal defences which was caused by the worst storm to hit Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth in many years."

The council said that March's poor weather also caused an estimated 23,000 worth of damage to private property throughout the city.

Scientists believe that flooding around Scotland's coasts is set to increase because of sea level rises of up to 32cm by 2080.

Heavy rains in March saw the Scottish Environment Protection Agency issue 18 flood warnings across the country, including the River Esk.

High tides on the Firth of Forth also caused concerns.