Update from the Musselburgh Flood Protection Scheme
January 2023
1. Plans for 2023
The Project Team would like to welcome you to the first Scheme update of 2023. The team are looking forward to continuing the successful progress made in 2022 and are excited about pushing ahead in 2023 to deliver a specific and unique Flood Protection Scheme for the town of Musselburgh.
2. Report to Council October 2022
A report was presented to full Council on the 25th October 2022 on the Scheme development. This report was to update Council on progress made in a number of key areas in advancing of the development of the project, in respect of specific recommendations at the Council meeting of August 2022, and to seek Council approval and authorisation of key elements of project work.
The outcome of this report is that East Lothian Council is proud to be coordinating £96M of capital investment into Musselburgh which will deliver outcomes in relation to: (i) flood risk reduction including nature based solutions and river restoration; (ii) new active travel pathways; (iii) investments into landscapes and public realm spaces; (iv) securing of the bird sanctuaries and Ash Lagoons amenity areas; and (v) continued containment of the Ash Lagoons waste material. These efforts are in accordance with national strategies, the local development plan, and Council objectives.
3. Public Meeting Consultation for the first half of 2023
The Project Team believe that advancing the Scheme through a consultative design approach is invaluable and will enable the evolution of a bespoke flood protection scheme that has the aspirations of the town and the local community at its heart.
The Scheme is on target to present the finalised Outline Design to Council in January 2024. As such, 2023 will be another big year for consultation with the town. The Project Team will be returning to consult with Local Area consultation groups from February 2023. These public events for the first half of 2023 have been confirmed.
The five Local Area consultations in February and April will all commence at 6pm, whereas the Public Exhibition will be full day / drop in events.
The largest and most significant consultation activity will be the public exhibition which will take place over two days at the Brunton Theatre in June 2023, this will be known as Public Exhibition No. 2.
We recognise and value the importance of Public Consultation, through engaging with the public we hope you will become involved and engaged to help deliver the best possible outcome for Musselburgh.
For more information, please visit New Public Consultation Dates for First Half of 2023.
4. High river levels experienced in Musselburgh on the 30th December
Musselburgh experienced a High Water event on 30th December 2022 following a flood warning issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) at 12:50pm, due to the bad weather and heavy rainfall in the River Esk Catchment.
The event peaked at 3:30pm. Whilst there was no overtopping of the banks at the key areas of residential risk, this was experienced in other areas of the town – such as alongside Inveresk and at the Musselburgh Gold Course. There was also overtopping of the River Esk’s bankside engineered walls (its historic ‘training’ walls) which therefore saw the river flowing onto the grassed landscapes alongside Eskside East and West and on Mall Avenue – these areas are the river’s natural floodplain but obviously pathways become unusable and the areas become dangerous when this happens.
East Lothian Council and key partners such as Police Scotland and SEPA, alongside the Project Team, remained on standby to respond to any challenges. Sandbags were deployed as a precautionary measure ahead of the high tide at 8pm on that Friday evening and the Roads Teams responded to reports of localised flooding in the area.
This River Esk at Musselburgh has burst its banks several times in recent decades. It is predicted that, with rising sea levels and changes in climate, events like which occurred over the 29th, 30th and 31st December 2022, these events are likely to become more common.
Overtopping under the Roman Bridge along Mall Avenue - 30th December 2022
Overtopping and debris build-up at the Store Bridge at Short Hope Street - 30th December 2022
5. Scheme Newsletter
The Project Team have developed a new Scheme Newsletter which was delivered to all property addresses in the EH21 Postcode last week. This is the first edition of the Scheme Newsletter and it will be issued on a quarterly basis moving forward to provide updates on the Scheme’s design and progress. If you have any ideas or suggestions for future content we would be delighted if you could send your suggestion through to musselburghfps@eastlothian.gov.uk
Please visit Newsletters to view and download a digital copy.
6. Website Updates
The website is one-part of the Scheme’s new Strategic Communication Plan which has been developed to ensure that we can communicate effectively with our stakeholders.
This website is designed to be a ‘one stop shop’ for all information relating to the project and will continue to evolve as the project advances.
The project team are currently updating the website and developing new pages, including new and revised Scheme FAQ’s.
Please visit our News section and come back regularly to keep up to date with the Scheme’s latest updates.