Sitting on the north-eastern coast of Scotland, Stonehaven is a town historically plagued by recurring flooding events.
However, a £16M flood prevention scheme completed in August 2023, now provides protection for homes and businesses in the area.
Commissioned by Aberdeenshire Council and constructed by main contractor McLaughlin & Harvey, the project offers robust defences, surpassing the current standards set by the Association of British Insurers.
The remit of the scheme was to safeguard residential and commercial properties, reducing flood risk to 372 residential properties, 2 public utility sites, a school, and an emergency services site.
The project aims for a 0.5% chance of occurrence, equivalent to a 1 in 200-year flood event. It also incorporates considerations for climate change, anticipating a 33% increase by 2080, and includes a safety margin to cater for uncertainties.
Key elements of the project include:
- Alteration of the five bridges along Carron Water.
- Construction of flood walls.
- Removal of an island.
- Installation of higher capacity culverts.
- Other essential modifications.
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The project uses a number of self-closing flood barriers, which are designed to maintain a low profile during normal conditions, preserving residents views. The barriers will passively rise with flood water, providing an additional 1.0m of flood protection height during a flood event.
Flood Control International was awarded a circa £2M sub-contract to design, supply and install a number of engineered flood defences, including:
- 34 x self-closing flood barriers up to 7.5m long each. These are in inter-linked sections, with bespoke stainless steel posts and secondary means of raising, over 90m of glass floodwall up to 1.2m high, with beautiful stainless steel framing and self-cleaning glass panels.
- 4 x fully sealed flood windows, up to 1.5m in height, set within stone clad concrete flood walls.
- 3 x aluminium lift hinge floodgates up to 3.6m long, designed for a single person operation.
To address the challenge of recurring floods impacting the project timeline, weekend works were deemed necessary for essential activities. Scheduled works were affected by flood events, causing delays, and targeted efforts were implemented to compensate for the setbacks.
Stonehaven FPS, with its innovative solutions and commitment to exceeding standards, stands as a testament to designing and constructing effective and sympathetic flood protection projects in the face of many local challenges. Over a four-and-a-half-year programme, it also demonstrates Flood Control International’s commitment to clients on long-term projects, showing resilience and adaptability, and ensuring that critical works progress despite external challenges.
