It is understood that members of the Infrastructure Services Committee (ISC) are recommended, in accordance with legislation, to make a preliminary decision to move ahead with an unmodified scheme. Officers will consider whether the benefits to the wider community outweigh the objections, although the council would still continue to try and obtain the land by negotiation. If the plans to protect the town are approved in their current way, the decision will have to be notified to Scottish Ministers, who may decide to call in the scheme.
If Ministers do agree to consider the scheme, then a public local inquiry would be held, unless all objections are withdrawn. They would then decide whether to confirm the scheme without modification, confirm the scheme with modifications or reject it altogether. Should Scottish Ministers decide not to consider the scheme then the matter will be referred back to the local authority for a decision. The local authority will then have to hold a hearing to consider the objections against the proposed scheme, giving opportunity for representation.
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The promotion of a Formal Order for the Huntly Flood Protection Scheme is a first for Aberdeenshire, and was considered necessary to deliver a scheme to protect the town more quickly following slow negotiations with landowners. The Order would provide the authority with power to secure entry to the land needed to build the scheme.
The project is designed to reduce future flood risk in the Meadows area of the town.
Head of Roads and Landscape Services, Philip McKay, said: "While completing the licensing requirements the council has been actively negotiating with landowners to acquire the necessary land for the works.
"While there has been good progress, obtaining settlements has not been as rapid a process as had been hoped.
"While we still hope it proves possible to acquire the necessary land through negotiation with the landowners, we need to take further steps to ensure more certainty that entry to the ground can be obtained within a defined timescale."
Director of Infrastructure Services, Stephen Archer, added: "Though settlements may still be achieved by agreement, the confirmation of a Flood Protection Scheme will aid negotiations and it would also provide a means whereby the works could be implemented until such time as the land can formally be acquired.
"Effectively it would allow us to put protection in place for Huntly sooner rather than later for the greater good."
(JP/IT)
