Over the last few years, the residents of Garmouth have faced increased flooding, affecting several homes and businesses in and around the village. Despite some discussions during committees and from the local MSP, nothing has yet been put to councillors or the Scottish Government which seeks to alleviate the problem.
Today local Councillor Marc Macrae received confirmation that his motion to full council on the 15th September 2021 will allow councillors to finally debate the issue.
Commenting on the submission Councillor Macrae said –
“The issue of flooding in Garmouth is one which goes back many generations.
In the past works undertaken by groups such as the salmon fisheries played a significant part in helping control the direction of the river from Fochabers to the Moray Firth.
With rules and regulations increasing over the last 20years it appears no public or private body are keen to look at options for the river and the protection of Garmouth and Kingston.
I have been no stranger to this issue, having been involved in surgeries and meetings since 2008 with the local SNP MSP, indeed I set up a public meeting in the village where the MSP brought in external agencies to meet with residents and the local authority. Sadly 11 years since that meeting, we are no further forward.
Since my election in 2017 to Moray Council I have met on numerous occasions with residents and landowners keen to seek a solution to at the very least help reduce the frequency of floods in the village.
The local community have been very active behind the scenes, getting their own studies completed, obtaining drone equipment to monitor the river course and engaging with all agencies to seek cooperation in producing a plan to move the issue forward.
The council have got to make a decision to help or not, I firmly believe we should.
My motion seeks to instruct officers to bring back a paper with formal proposals, including the community plan, so councillors can decide in November what action will be taken.
I very much hope that councillor colleagues will appreciate the concerns of the Garmouth community and consider supporting this important motion so we can ensure another year does not go by without helping all those affected.”
Cllr Tim Eagle Conservative Group Leader added –
“Flooding is something that everyone across Moray is well aware of, indeed it is not that long ago that signs erected on the A96 promoted the fact that £86 million pounds had been spent on a flood alleviation scheme in Elgin.
The community works being suggested here at a total of £82,000 would be 0.01% the cost of the Elgin scheme, a small price to protect the home and business owners of Garmouth.
The motion starts the process, but importantly shows the importance of bringing community concerns to debate in the council. I’ll be joining Cllr Macrae as we push for action, I hope others join us.”
