Local Dingwall Councillors hit out at a 'lack of urgency' dealing with flood defence issues that are stymying companies moving into Dingwall Business park as it emerges the problem was known about since 2019
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Furious councillors hit out at three of the leading north statutory agencies for having known for years problems with flood defences at Dingwall Business Park would prevent companies setting up there.
Councillors only learned about the issue late last year and are fuming over a “lack of urgency” in dealing with the matter, initially discovered in 2019.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), Highland Council and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) were all informed that the flood bund did not meet modern standards.
Since, a number of applications have been refused by Highland Council largely based on objections from SEPA which – despite being based in the same business park – must officially say that it is potentially unsafe for others to do the same.
Councillor Alister Mackinnon said when he was budget leader several companies approached him about the issues they were facing.
He said: "This problem first came to my attention last year when businesses approached me about the difficulties they faced locating themselves in the business park but as we now know the issues with the bund go back several years.
"My problem with this is there is a complete lack of urgency from some of the agencies involved in this. We, as councillors, sought meetings with HIE but the problem was the people who were sent were not decision makers so nothing could be resolved. That is completely unacceptable.
"We are now in a period of recovery from economic devastation of the pandemic, now is precisely the time when all areas of the Highlands - including Dingwall and Seaforth - benefit from our enterprise agencies but that is not what we are seeing. But we are not going to let that continue."
Councillor Margaret Paterson said: “I was furious when I read SEPA’s response regarding Dingwall business park. It is not acceptable when we the Councillors are not notified as we represent the people.
"Highland Council has a responsibility to alert the members of what is going on in their ward, but this did not happen and questions need answered.”
A spokeswoman for SEPA said: “The building SEPA owns and occupies in the Dingwall Business Park was built in line with the relevant flood risk policy at the time of development. We are not able to support the current planning applications as they are not compliant with the requirements of the Scottish Planning Policy flood risk framework.
“It was in 2019 that SEPA became aware that the flood defences did not meet this requirement.
“Since then, we have been working in close collaboration with HIE and Highland Council to consider ways to address this issue and this joint working resulted in HIE commissioning the recent survey report.”
While a spokesman for Highlands and Islands Enterprise said: “HIE is one of many organisations and businesses that own land at Dingwall Business Park which includes the flood bund. The condition of the bund is something that affects all of us.
“The bund met the required standards at the time the business park was built. However SEPA raised concerns with us in 2020 that it did not come up to the more stringent requirements of current Scottish Planning Policy and SEPA guidance that would enable any new developments to gain planning consent.
“In other words, for new development to be permitted, improvements would be required to meet higher present-day standards.
“Since that time, SEPA, HIE and the Highland Council have been exploring and discussing the extent of the problem, working out what solutions are required, and estimating the likely cost implications.
“HIE commissioned a report on the bund to quantify the issue and identify solutions, and we received its findings in November 2021. Shortly afterwards, we contacted all the various landowners at Dingwall Business Park to appraise them of the situation and seek their views on how it should best be addressed."
“At present, we are consulting our fellow landowners, The Highland Council and SEPA, with the intention that all of us can agree on a positive way forward to enable new development at Dingwall Business Park.”
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