Town's £68m flood scheme cleared to progress

A council has voted to take forward a £68m flood protection scheme in part of a south of Scotland town which regularly floods.

Discussions about what to do for the Whitesands area of Dumfries have been ongoing for decades.

Now Dumfries and Galloway Council has voted by 23 to 18 to progress proposals for a raised and landscaped walkway - which would be 80% funded by the Scottish government.

The local authority has already allocated £5m to the scheme but will now commit a further £8.7m in order to secure Holyrood support and allow work to start early next year.

Official records show that the Whitesands flooded at least 205 times between 1827 and 2020 - about once a year.

A motion to take forward the work was carried at a full council meeting with an amendment to drop the plans defeated.

Richard Knox, who has owned a sports shop on the Whitesands for almost 40 years, knows only too well the issues the nearby River Nith can cause.

His shop has flooded on three occasions, with the last incident in 2023 when he had to be rescued.

He said that over time he had been won over by the project in its current form.

He said it was important to realise that the money was not available for anything else and could enhance the whole town as a "starting point for regeneration".

"The plans I have seen - it is really quite attractive because there is a walkway on it and a cycle path and so on and it could bring more people down to the river," he said.

"A lot of people think it will block the river but at the moment what we have got is a car park and that doesn't attract visitors down."

Opponents to the scheme have raised concerns about the spiralling costs which have almost doubled since the last estimate.

They argue that it is too expensive and would damage the character of the area with any money being better spent elsewhere.

Concerns have also been raised about the impact on the visits of the fair to the town two times a year which is usually located on the Whitesands.

In addition, campaigners against the project have said it would reduce parking and have an adverse effect on tourism and trade.

BBC news online readers recently suggested that cheaper options should be explored at a time when the council was facing cutting its spending elsewhere.

It has even been argued that businesses should simply be relocated to higher ground and the area allowed to flood, as it has for centuries.

A report to councillors said tackling the flood risk could make the area more attractive to businesses.

It said it could create a "vibrant, multifunctional area" where people would want to spend time.

"This provides the potential for promoting a 'café culture' clustering eating, drinking and entertainment establishments into the Whitesands area," it said.

"This will turn the Whitesands area into a destination in its own right."

The public works contract has already been awarded to Belfast civil engineering firm McLaughlan and Harvey.

The scheme will now be passed to Scottish ministers, with a view to work beginning in spring 2026.