The latest report on Brechin Recovery and Regeneration is now available and contains a number of recommendations that will require key decisions from councillors at their meeting on 26 June.
The recommendations which have been made are based on the work of the Brechin Steering Group, set up as a result of the previous Brechin report which was approved in November 2024 (report 352/24 refers).
This steering group, which comprises the Convener of Communities Committee, the three Brechin elected members and relevant officers, has met monthly throughout 2025 to review all the data provided by the two technical reports commissioned after Storm Babet which were submitted to Council at the November meeting.
The recommendations provide some clarity for the future of recovery and regeneration and provide a roadmap for the next stages.
- Recommendation 1 asks that Council agrees that a full managed retreat is discounted from further consideration. This means that a planned removal of people and buildings from the area of risk will not be progressed. This is due to the complexities, huge financial cost and precedent set for other “at risk” areas across Angus. It is believed that to restore the area, improve flood protection, plus enhancing community resilience to minimise the impact of flooding in future is the better option.
- Recommendations 2 and 3 asks Council to agree not to progress the reinstatement of affected council housing stock in the River Street Area (as defined in Appendix 1) meaning current and future voids will not be considered for new tenancies.
This is because even pre Babet, these properties were difficult to let, were not popular and were not in a good condition. If agreed, a detailed consultation will start to explore and agree future options for housing in the River Street area and across Brechin (detailed in section 5.3.).
- Recommendation 4 asks for agreement not to progress with a new full flood protection scheme. This is because the cost is estimated to be around £34M which does not offer good value for money, nor is it likely to successfully attract additional external funding. In addition, the scale of work and timescales would significantly impact on the local community, possibly affecting existing housing and it would be difficult to develop a viable design that could secure planning consent.
- Recommendation 5 proposes using £100K of Year 4 UK Shared prosperity funding to develop designs for raising the current flood protection scheme by 0.50m. This money will allow for residents to understand the impact technically and visually on the area, but it is recognised that it is used at risk, subject to overcoming technical and planning challenges for the final design which is estimated will cost circa £2.9M.
- Recommendations 6 and 7 proposes that the Director of Infrastructure and Environment progresses with demolition of the Inch Leisure Centre building, the adjacent storage building and astroturf football pitch, subject to negotiated agreement on settlement with insurance, statutory common good consultation and if required, consent of the Court (as outlined in Section 5.6.) plus the demolition of the empty Meikle Mill block of flats, subject to consent from Scottish Ministers.
Once these buildings are demolished, the land would be reinstated as grassed open spaces with potential for future community use which will form part of the planned community engagement going forward.
- Recommendation 8 asks that if the above recommendations are agreed, officers progress next steps including an ongoing series of engagements with the community, key stakeholders, and partners (outlined in Appendix 3) and the formation of a community group. This is so that future decision-making will be informed by local views with options brought back to the relevant committees at appropriate stages. It will also help build community resilience for Brechin.
Communities Convener, Cllr Tommy Stewart said, “This is an important report that is the culmination of a lot of behind the scenes work understanding interconnected nature of the challenges faced, and it represents a way forward for the people whose lives have been so devastated by flooding.
“It is clear from the technical reports that sadly we cannot build our way out of the flood risk problem. Climate change is having a huge impact on the ability to predict flood risk going forward, and we do not have unlimited time, resources or funds. Therefore, it is important to take both the new flood protection scheme and a complete withdrawal from the area off the table and start working alongside the community on the projects that will deliver lasting change, keep them safe and allow them to move on with their lives.
“I would like to thank members of the Steering Group for getting us to this point, and I am keen that we get moving quickly on these recommendations so that we can deliver for the people of Brechin.”
The full papers coming before Angus Council are available on our website now.