Water of Leith floods plan is on course

Irish firm Lagan Construction successfully bid for the flood prevention contract with a tender of nearly 11.5 million - the lowest quote of five applications - and is expected to begin work on phase one of the project in March.

The 21-month job will concentrate on areas most vulnerable to a repeat of the April 2000 floods which caused 25m of damage and affected 500 properties after the river burst its banks during a 36-hour downpour.

That deluge was the worst for 80 years and saw three walls along the Water of Leith collapse at Stockbridge, Bonnington and Canonmills. Roseburn and Murrayfield were also badly hit, as were areas of Liberton, Peffermill and Duddingston.

At first the new anti-flooding measures will be limited to Newhaven Road, Bonnington to Deanhaugh Street and Veitch's Square with phase two later covering Roseburn and Murrayfield. Phase three will then see defences bolstered from Balgreen to Longstone.

Although funding is in place for the second phase, no money has been secured for the third and timescales for either phase have yet to be announced.

Talk of upgrading the city's flood defences has been ongoing for the last decade and seen a number of false starts before progress was finally announced on Tuesday.

The project had to be divided into three parts as a result of changes to the Scottish Government's fund application process which saw the axing of ring-fenced grants for flood protection in favour of an endowment in the council's annual budget.

Sarah Boyak, MSP for Edinburgh Central, said changes to the grant funding system at Holyrood had been a spanner in the works to Edinburgh's anti-flooding ambitions.

"The reason it's taken this long is that the scheme has to be split into three because the Scottish Government changed their funding rules. That's why we have now only got the go-ahead for the first stage,

"I hold the Scottish Government accountable for (the delay] and lay this problem at their door."

And she added: "It's been a an appalling process and taken far too long to get this up and running but the fact we have clearance for stage one is a step in the right direction - I now hope the council come back with detailed timescales for phase two."

Her Lothians counterpart Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP gave a "cautious welcome" to the news that a contractor had been appointed to carry out the "long overdue" works and said: "There have been too many false dawns during the ten years since the Water of Leith caused flood damage to more than 500 properties.

"That's why I think residents will only truly believe progress is being made once we see the work under way. The sooner it starts the better." .

Water of Leith floods plan is on course - at last