Background
Historically, Kinross has suffered from repeated flooding, with records going back to 1852. Significant flooding occurred more recently in January 1993, December 2006 and February and August 2020. The main flood risk to homes and businesses comes from the South Queich, the Gelly Burn and the Clash Burn.
The Council previously engaged the consulting engineers, Mouchel, to undertake a flood study in the area. This study indicated that a flood scheme was feasible, and it was therefore included in the published Forth Estuary Local Flood Risk Management Plan. More recently, the Council engaged consulting engineers, RPS, to develop this initial study work and develop proposals for a flood protection scheme in the area.
The Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act
Kinross is located in the River Leven river catchment and the area has been designated as part of the Kinross, Milnathort, Glenrothes Potentially Vulnerable Area Reference 02/10/03. Actions to manage the risk of flooding in the area have been included in the published Forth Estuary Flood Risk Management Plan and Local Flood Risk Management Plans Forth Estuary Local Flood Risk Management Plan.
These actions include the flood protection scheme but, due to the cost and extensive work involved, this is likely to be some time away. Other actions have therefore also been included to support the community in the meantime. Details of all of these actions can be viewed in the above Plans and in the previous community update (PDF, 83 KB).
The flood protection scheme has been included within the national priority list of flood schemes. The Scottish Government and the Council have agreed in principle to fund the scheme. The Scottish Government will contribute 80% of the overall capital cost and the Council will contribute the remaining 20%, assuming the Scheme remains economically viable.
Progress
Our consulting engineers, RPS, have now finalised the outline design for the flood scheme. This has been informed by ground investigations as well as environmental and topographic surveys.
RPS have undertaken detailed modelling to understand the risk of flooding in South Kinross from the South Queich, the Gelly Burn and the Clash Burn. To increase confidence in the model, photographs, levels and information from the February 2020 and August 2020 flood events have been used. The risk of flooding is shown on the map in Newsletter 1 below.
RPS have considered a wide range of potential options to manage the identified risk of flooding including traditional walls and embankments, dredging, a diversion channel, flood storage and natural flood management. The recommended scheme includes a series of new flood walls and embankments, culvert upgrades and flood storage as shown in Newsletter 1, below. The proposed scheme is intended to protect properties up to the 1 in 200-year flood event but remains subject to community consultation, statutory consents and the availability of sufficient funding.
Public exhibition
The Council continues to liaise with key landowners to discuss the initial proposals. RPS have developed the outline design of the proposed flood scheme in more detail so that we can consult with the local community.
All of the options, along with the recommended flood protection scheme, were presented to the community at a public exhibition held in the Kinross Parish Church (10 Station Road) from 2pm to 8pm on Thursday 28 September and Thursday 5 October 2023.
The exhibition was in the form of community drop-in sessions, with officers from our flooding team and RPS present to answer questions from the public.
Comment forms were made available to allow residents to record their views and highlight any issues or concerns, with a total of four comment forms returned.
The display materials were also made available on our Consultation Hub (opens new window) from Thursday 28 September until Friday 20 October, with a further eight online responses being received.
Together with RPS, we have collated the questions and comments provided and produced a community consultation report in response to these. This report is now available to view on the consultation hub.
Display materials
- 01 Introduction (PDF, 588 KB)
- 02 Project progress (PDF, 392 KB)
- 03 Flood risk in Kinross (PDF, 462 KB)
- 04 Options considered (PDF, 706 KB)
- 05 Recommended outline design - 1 of 2 (PDF, 727 KB)
- 06 Recommended outline design - 2 of 2 (PDF, 726 KB)
- 07 How will the flood walls look (PDF, 707 KB)
- 08 How will the flood embankments look (PDF, 956 KB)
- 09 Reducing flood risk (PDF, 334 KB)
- 10 Options appraisal (PDF, 246 KB)
- 11 Environmental Impact Assessment (PDF, 338 KB)
- 12 How will my property be affected (PDF, 635 KB)
- 13 What happens next (PDF, 435 KB)
- Comment form (PDF, 55 KB)
- Public exhibition presentation (PDF, 1 MB)
Next steps
Following completion of the outline design and public consultation period, the Council have now published the scheme in March 2024. This has resulted in the submission of two valid objections which will be resolved via a Local Authority Hearing to be held over 28 and 29 October 2025.
Details of the hearing can be found at South Kinross Flood Protection Scheme: Local Authority Hearing. Should the scheme be approved following the hearing we will thereafter arrange for the detailed design, tenders and construction to be undertaken.
Newsletters
Issue 3 - April 2024
Introduction
This community newsletter has been prepared to update you on the progress of the South Kinross Flood Protection Scheme.
Recent progress
Since our previous newsletter, work on the flood scheme has progressed well, with our consulting engineers RPS completing the outline design along with finalising the Environmental Impact Assessment for the scheme. The findings of the slot trench works were fed into the outline design and a second ground investigation is currently being produced which will inform upon the detailed design process.
Public Consultation
Public Consultation events were held at the Kinross Parish Church (10 Station Road) between 2pm and 8pm on Thursday 28 September and Thursday 5 October 2023.
The exhibition was in the form of community drop-in sessions with information on the current outline design of the flood scheme including the proposed flood defence types, alignments, heights and indicative finishes being presented and discussed. Officers from the Council's flooding team and RPS were available to answer questions, with a representative from the Scottish Flood Forum present during the second event to provide advice on flood protection products.
Both events were well attended with approximately 35 people participating across both days. Four comment forms were returned during the events with a further eight responses received via the Consultation Hub which were generally positive in nature towards the flood protection scheme.
RPS and Perth and Kinross Council have since collated these responses and provided answers to any queries received in a Public Consultation Report.
Scheme publication
The Council is now seeking the necessary statutory approval for the proposed flood scheme under the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009. Key stakeholders and affected parties have been notified of the scheme. The formal notices were published on 26 March 2024 in The Courier and The Edinburgh Gazette and have been displayed in prominent locations around South Kinross.
The notice contains a general description of the proposed scheme and details of where the scheme documents, including the drawings and the Environmental Impact Assessment Report, can be inspected.
The scheme documents can be viewed on the Council's website at South Kinross Flood Protection Scheme: Documents. The documents can also be viewed at Loch Leven Community Library and at the Council's offices at Pullar House in Perth until a decision is made about the scheme.
What's next?
Depending on whether any objections are received or not, the scheme may be confirmed (i.e. given statutory consent) by the Council or the Scottish Ministers. Further details of this statutory process, including how to object to the scheme, have been provided in the published notice.
An application for deemed planning consent will be made to the Scottish Ministers on conclusion of the statutory process.
Subject to securing statutory consent and funding remaining in place, the Council's consulting engineers will then complete the detailed design for the Scheme. The design process is expected to take approximately 12 months with tenders and construction thereafter. In the meantime, the Council will continue to keep the community informed of progress.
Issue 2 - September 2023
Introduction
This community newsletter has been prepared to update you on the progress of the South Kinross Flood Protection Scheme.
Recent progress
Since our previous newsletter, work on the flood scheme has been delayed for various reasons including high staff turnover in both the Council and our consulting engineers, RPS, and the need to divert staff resources to respond to a number of flood events. However, work on the outline design of the scheme has progressed well during 2023.
Environmental surveys
Various ecological and landscape surveys were carried out in 2021/2022 to inform the Environmental Impact Assessment for the scheme.
Public utility investigation works
Slot trenches were excavated in March 2023 to identify and establish the position of existing underground public utility apparatus in the vicinity of the proposed scheme. This will help to establish if any apparatus requires to be diverted as part of the future construction works.
Further ground investigation works will be undertaken next year.
Outline design
RPS have been analysing the findings from these surveys to inform the development of the proposed outline design for the flood defences.
Public consultation
We are now ready to consult with the community on the proposed scheme.
A public exhibition will be held in the Kinross Parish Church (10 Station Road) between 2pm and 8pm on Thursday 28 September and Thursday 5 October 2023.
The exhibition will be in the form of community drop-in sessions and will provide the community with information on the current outline design of the flood scheme including the proposed flood defence types, alignments, heights and indicative finishes. A display will be set up at the venue and officers from the Council's flooding team and RPS will be available to answer any questions.
It is anticipated that representatives from SEPA will be present to provide advice in relation to their flood warning services and flood risk management plans, and the Scottish Flood Forum will be present on Thursday 5 October to provide advice on flood protection products.
Comment forms will be made available to allow residents to record their views and highlight any issues of interest or concern.
For anyone who cannot attend on the above dates, the proposals will also be available to view on the Council's website at South Kinross Flood Protection Scheme, and on the Council's Consultation Hub from 28 September.
In the meantime, we have been consulting with individual landowners and these meetings will continue. The Council and RPS are also engaging with key stakeholders including SEPA, NatureScot, Historic Environment Scotland, Transport Scotland, etc.
What's next?
Following the public exhibition, the Council will collate any questions and comments provided and will provide a response in the form of a community consultation report. This report will be published and made available to the community.
The community's response will inform the final outline design of the flood scheme. Where possible, the proposed scheme will be amended to address any local concerns.
We will issue a further newsletter once the community consultation report is available.
The Council will then seek to publish the final proposals under the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009. Thereafter, the Council will progress the detailed design, tenders and construction.
Issue 1 - June 2021
Perth and Kinross Council is promoting a flood scheme in Kinross. This newsletter is the first in a series aimed at keeping the community up to date with the proposals.
Background
Historically, Kinross has suffered from repeated flooding, with records going back to 1852. Significant flooding occurred more recently in January 1993, December 2006 and February and August 2020. The main flood risk to homes and businesses comes from the South Queich, the Gelly Burn and the Clash Burn.
The Council previously engaged the consulting engineers, Mouchel, to undertake a flood study in the area. This study indicated that a flood scheme was feasible, and it was therefore included in the published Forth Estuary Local Flood Risk Management Plan. More recently, the Council engaged consulting engineers, RPS, to develop this initial study work and develop proposals for a flood protection scheme in the area.
RPS have already gathered information and are continuing to gather further information to progress the outline design of the scheme including ground investigations as well as environmental and topographic surveys.
Recent developments
RPS have undertaken detailed modelling work to understand the risk of flooding from the South Queich, the Gelly Burn and the Clash Burn. The risk of flooding is shown on the map in Figure 1. The blue shading indicates the area that could be affected in a 1 in 200-year flood, which is a much rarer event than the estimated 1 in 50-year flood observed in February 2020.
RPS have also considered a wide range of potential options to manage the identified risk of flooding including traditional walls and embankments, dredging, a diversion channel, flood storage and natural flood management. The recommended scheme includes a series of new flood walls and embankments, culvert upgrades and flood storage, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. The proposed scheme is intended to protect properties up to the 1 in 200-year flood event, but remains subject to community consultation, statutory consents and the availability of sufficient funding.
What's next?
The Council is liaising with key landowners to discuss the initial proposals. RPS will develop the outline design of the proposed flood scheme so that we can consult with the local community. All of the options will be presented to the community at public events later this year, along with the recommended flood protection scheme. The final proposals will be informed by this community consultation.
The Council will then seek the necessary statutory consents for the scheme and thereafter arrange for the detailed design, tenders and construction.
In the meantime, RPS are also developing proposals for natural flood management measures as well as carrying out the necessary surveys for the Environmental Impact Assessment.
Contact details
If you have any queries relating to the proposed South Kinross Flood Protection Scheme, please contact please contact Rory Stuart, Engineer (Flooding) at SKinrossFloodScheme@pkc.gov.uk.
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