Perth and Kinross Council sets out plan to avoid repeat of last October's floodgate fiasco

Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) officers have set out steps taken to seek to avoid a repeat of last October's catastrophic flooding when Perth floodgates were not closed in time.

On October 8, businesses, homes and leisure facilities - including Bell's Sports Centre - were left counting the costs of flood damage after water poured through several open gates and into their properties.

Bell's Sports Centre suffered up to £2 million of damage - only a year after the centre opened its £750,000 state-of-the-art 100+ station gym and exercise studio facilities which are now being moved to Dewars Centre.

At a meeting of PKC's Scrutiny and Performance Committee on Wednesday, April 24 officers provided an update on the actions taken as part of its Weather Events Improvement Plan.

PKC's strategic lead for Environment and Infrastructure Fraser Crofts told councillors they had made "good progress" and added: "A number of actions have been completed whilst some will be continued on a rolling basis. For example the programme of emergency planning training and further development of the community resilience group network.

"Revised operational procedures have been agreed with SEPA [Scottish Environment Protection Agency] - including input from SSE. Furthermore representatives from SEPA, SSE and Scottish Water have confirmed they will be able to attend the September meeting of this committee."

He also told councillors work was ongoing around the sharing of information in relation to vulnerable people between different partners - which is subject to data protection regulations - "but it's hoped it will be moved forward by the end of the summer".

Conservative councillor Caroline Shiers repeated her request raised at the last committee meeting about involving telephone companies and was told by PKC's Parking, Public Transport and Civil Contingencies manager Hunter Hope it was a "work in progress".

Mr Hope also outlined changes being looked at as part of a review of its policy on the closure of the £25 million Perth Flood Gate Scheme, installed in 2001.

He said they were "seeking to minimise the need for additional stand-by resources by looking at the closing up or sealing up of certain gates with limited amenity value in addition to the use of lighter barriers for the promontory and Queen's Bridge which could be installed without the need for heavy lifting gear".

Mr Hope added: "It is hoped that this along with additional staffing capacity from our Parking and Civil Contingency colleagues - who already have out-of-hour standby arrangements - will significantly enhance our resilience response arrangements going forward."

PKC has an arrangement with Aberdeen City Council to handle its out-of-hours calls.

Mr Hope said: "We are looking to remove as many of the non-emergency calls coming through the call handling system allowing us to focus on the emergency calls as they come through.

"And hopefully the existing capacity coming through Aberdeen will suffice going forward."

Cllr Keith Allan asked what communication there had been with affected residents.

The council's strategic lead for Housing and Communities Elaine Ritchie said: "We carried out reassurance visits in hotspot areas - particularly Invergowrie and Perth City. We did a letter drop as well and from that letter drop we've made further contact with some residents and that work has been followed up by the Flooding team. There's about to be a flooding bulletin issued too. We're doing it on an individual basis based on individual circumstances based on the reassurance visits carried out and the information we currently hold. It's ongoing information we're providing."

Cllr Allan said his Conservative colleague in Perth City Centre Bailie Chris Ahern was being asked "constantly by residents" about what's happening with the suggestion "nothing was happening and they were getting no communication". Ms Ritchie said they had been in contact with those individuals and would seek to see what further information could be provided.

Conservative councillor Frank Smith asked what confidence residents could have that the systems in place would work.

Road Maintenance Partnership manager Stuart D'All said: "We have reviewed the communications we've got from SEPA and the warnings so we've got confidence that these warnings are giving us the time to do that.

"When we get any form of yellow weather warning, we're having a look to see if there's any significant impact that's going to give as well as the triggers it gives us to close the gates.

"We're looking at the gates that are there to see if they require to remain as a gate or if we can close any off. We're also waiting on a lightweight contingency measure that doesn't require a Hiab to transport the heavy concrete blocks that historically we'd have used to block off a gate that we couldn't get closed.

"There are a range of measures - some are imminent and some are a little bit off."

Cllr Smith thanked him for the answer then added: "I'm afraid I just hear doubt."

Cllr Allan called for a formalised report "to let people know where we are going and that we haven't just cast it aside". Convener Independent councillor Colin Stewart said it was something he thought they could do.