April 2025 update

You may be aware that at the Angus Council Communities Committee on 26 November 2024, it was agreed that a member officer steering group would be set up “to provide oversight of the options appraisal process and approach to engagement” on the recovery of Brechin affected by Storm Babet.

The Convener of the Communities Committee was appointed as chair, joined by the three Brechin and Edzell ward members, along with relevant officers. (Section 3.1 (ii) Report 352/24 refers).

This group has met several times and based on discussions with the community, evidence from the two technical reports and their own conversations with residents and businesses, it has now arrived at some recommendations for next actions which will come before the Full Council on 26 June 2025 for approval before progressing.

If approved, these recommendations will bring some clarity to people in the River Street and associated areas which were so badly impacted by the devastating Storm Babet. They will also allow for meaningful engagement with the affected residents, business owners and community leaders on how best to progress the next stages.

The papers for the committee are currently being prepared and will be available for the public to read on 20 June on the Angus council website www.angus.gov.uk. We will share the link on the Engage Angus platform once they are posted (this is usually later on in the day).

Once decisions have been made, a programme of phased engagement with the community will be announced when we will start to discuss some key questions around the future of the community, including housing choices, flood prevention actions and other opportunities alongside the longer term vision and possibilities presented for the area.

In the meantime, mindful that flood prevention of individual properties is the responsibility of the homeowner, please take full advantage of the upcoming Angus Community Resilience Roadshow which takes place on 1 May at Brechin FC ground, Glebe Park, and features (among many other attractions!) Flo the Flood bus, with lots of ideas about how to prevent and minimise flooding.