The benefits to Caol and Lochyside from the proposed scheme are estimated to be in the region of £12.2 million
The Caol and Lochyside areas north of Fort William have historically been subject to flooding from both tidal and fluvial sources, with the last significant flood event occurring in 2005 because of high sea levels. The Highland Council (THC) in response to this historic flooding commissioned our team to investigate flood risk in this area and design a flood protection scheme (FPS), including secondary drainage under the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009.
The FPS work consists of an embankment along the foreshore to protect from coastal flooding as well as secondary drainage and pumping stations to protect from surface water flooding. The concerns and opportunities provided by stakeholder consultation have been considered and—where possible—incorporated into the flood protection scheme to provide a high standard of protection whilst providing environmental improvements and wider amenity benefits to the local community.
The flood embankment with integrated footway/cycleway provides a 200-year standard of protection, but without any allowance for future sea level rise due to climate change. However, the defence has been designed such that a wave return wall could be added at a later date when more certainty with regards to future sea level rise is available. Furthermore, some aspects of the design make allowance for climate change (such as the sizing of rock armour) to avoid costly adjustments to the design if the scheme is updated to incorporate the impacts of rising sea levels.
At a Glance
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- The Highland Council
Chris Pittner, Director, Civil Engineering and Water Management
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