Residents of a small Moray costal village are resigned to the fact that the economic arguments for a flooding scheme to protect them from the sea may never stack up in their favour.

But the local Councillor for Kingston has made a successful plea to his fellow elected members to carry out extensive investigations into what the benefits of such a scheme could be.

Further consultations with environmental experts and special interest groups will help the authority determine whether the Scottish Executive would get a return on their investment.

Councillor Eddie Coutts (Innes) told Moray Councils flood alleviation sub-committee on Wed (12th April)

That residents accepted other schemes in Moray offered greater protection to a greater number of people.

 The people of Kingston are really quite resigned to the fact that if ?2 million worth of property is at risk and it takes ?10 million to rectify it, the business case is not going to be made.

But what they do feel is that they should be treated on a level playing field  with other communities in Moray and at least have their scheme looked at and progressed, he said.

Moray Council hired a team of consultants to prepare a business case for a flood alleviation scheme which will protect Kingston if its sea defences are breached.

The village is partly protected from waves by a shingle spit that encloses a lagoon formed by the River Spey, as well as a shingle beach. It has been receding for some time.

Consultancy firm Jacobs Babtie believes that the cost of the scheme would far out weigh the benefits, and argue that the insurance cost of replacing all the homes in Kingston and their contents could be twice as much as the flood alleviation measures.

If that was the case, under its own funding regulations the Scottish Executive would be unlikely to pay for the scheme. The favored option at present is to construct a 400m long offshore reef to dissipate wave energy.

In a report, Jacobs Babtie puts forward a scenario where defences are breached in three years and 31 properties are affected.  Within two years, said consultants the rest of the village would be affected.

Dave Gowans, Moray Councils flood  consultancy manager, said that situation had been threatened before.

That repeats assumptions they made in a report in 1996, yet Kingston remains in tact 10 years on, he added.

Coastal erosion is difficult to predict because it is affected by many different factors and there can be sudden changes in a very short space of time.

It would be unrealistic to base a business case on fears of imminent inundation when average progressive rates or erosion suggest that should there be a problem, it may not arise for many years.

The committee agreed that, before committing further expenditure, there should be more consultations with environmental agencies, statutory bodies and special interest groups to carry out a risk assessment on the business case.

Leanne Carter

Northern Scot      Apr 14 2006