Dumfries and Galloway Council has progressed to the next stage of developing the proposed £37 million Whitesands Project Flood Protection Scheme to provide both flood protection and regeneration for the Whitesands area of Dumfries.

The Whitesands area of Dumfries experiences regular flooding events which has impacted on levels of investment in the area, as well as causing damage to properties and infrastructure.

The most severe flood events in recent years in 2014/2015 were classified as 1 in 25 to 1 in 30-year events. A flood on 30 December 2022 was the highest since the 1980s and affected many residential and commercial premises. The frequency and severity of flooding is expected to increase because of climate change - such events are expected to become more common and more severe events more likely to occur.

A report on the Whitesands Project was presented to Full Council on 4 October 2023 when members agreed to progress the scheme.

Following this decision, the Council appointed Turner & Townsend to provide technical project management services, enabling access to an experienced team of flood project specialists who currently work on a number of major projects across Scotland and the wider United Kingdom.

The team has been working to progress the project and is now in a position to undertake additional ground investigation works to inform the detailed design of the project design.

The invasive ground investigation works were completed over the summer 2024, although the equipment installed remains for ongoing data collection each month.

After a competitive procurement process, in mid-autumn the Council appointed an experienced design team, Jacobs, to deliver on a challenging programme to complete the detailed design in time to meet the Scottish Government funding deadlines of 31 March 2026.

Various surveys to inform detailed design are planned during 2025, including:

• Topographical surveys of the scheme area - to update previous records to support the development of the design.
• Drone surveys for the scheme area - the surveys will help create the images and 3D models of the scheme area.
• Bathymetric surveys on the river along the scheme area - to help inform the design and provide a baseline of the existing river condition.
• Environmental Surveys -  the design consultant is finalising the environmental survey schedule that will include all aspects of wildlife, fauna and flora that maybe impacted by the scheme.

Since project agreement, the scope, timescale and cost of the project has been subject to significant change and the current estimate of the cost of the scheme is £37 million.

This includes all costs to date plus those estimated to completion - costs for construction were increased to reflect a construction-phase mid-point of 2026.

The Scottish Government will provide 80% of the funding for the project , with the remainder being funded by the Council (20%), and will be based upon costs following successful tender award for construction.

The Whitesands Project is being delivered in accordance with the standard 9-stage process for flood schemes outlined in the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009: local authority functions under part 4 guidance.