Breakwater hopes down but not out

Chairman of Golspie Flood Protection Group Ian Melville has said he is not “letting go” of an ambitious scheme to repair the village’s breakwater and form a lagoon for leisure activities, despite Highland Council deciding it is not their preferred option.

Instead the authority has agreed following scientific studies and a public consultation that the most cost efficient way forward is to increase the height of the existing sea wall by 900mm at an estimated cost of £1.3 million.

The flood-prone village suffered two devastating events in 2012 and 2014 which caused extensive damage to businesses including Golspie Golf Club, the caravan site and kart track. Golspie has now been officially identified as one of 42 “potentially vulnerable areas” in Scotland.

Mr Melville and fellow local resident Bert Gibson formed Golspie Flood Prevention Group in 2015. Highland Council has also been working towards a solution to protect the village’s sea front.

At a public information meeting held in Drummuie on Tuesday, Highland Council representative Alan Fraser said the most likely scheme to attract 80 per cent Scottish Government funding was the raising of the sea wall. The project would now be submitted to the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency who would decide whether or not to forward to Scottish Government for funding.

Mr Fraser said he did not want to “raise any level of expectation” and, if funding was granted, it would be 2026 at the earliest before work started.

Following the meeting Mr Melville said he would continue to look at attracting funds to progress the breakwater plan on a phased basis. He said the council’s estimated
£4.9 million cost for the scheme was “outrageous” and it could be done for less.

“There is a keen interest in moving forward on a breakwater,” he said. “And I think we could get it moving with community support.”

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