MORAY Council could be hit with “unexpected” compensation claims from landowners affected by a multimillion-pound flood-defence scheme.
Several people with land beside the River Findhorn have hired land agents to pursue the council over the ongoing alleviation work at Forres.
The local authority said last night that the total project cost of £46million included £2.2million for compensation, but additional and unforeseen claims could force the cost to climb.
Work started on the Forres (River Findhorn and Pilmuir) flood-alleviation scheme last September and it is due for completion in 2015.
The extensive project involves reinstating the floodplain, making space for water along the river corridor and improving drainage at Pilmuir to provide flood protection for 980 homes and businesses. A council spokesman said: “We can confirm that compensation claims have been intimated from agents acting for landowners whose property borders the River Findhorn.
“Full details of these unexpected claims have yet to be presented, and will remain confidential at this stage. Flood-alleviation and prevention works undertaken by the council are governed by statute, which clearly sets out the limitations for such claims.”
He added: “The council’s officers discussed these matters with all those businesses and landowners who were deemed to be eligible well in advance of works starting, in order to set an accurate budget.
“The budget for compensation claims arising from the £46million scheme is currently set at £2.2million, but naturally this figure will be adversely affected if these unexpected claims are successful.
“As this scheme is capped in terms of government funding, any additional costs above the agreed budget will have to be met in full by the council.
“The council will study the claims when they are formally presented and respond in due course.”
Local land agent Peter Graham and Associates is acting on behalf of several of the landowners involved.
He said he was not at liberty to discuss individual cases but added: “It’s a very straightforward negotiation between me on behalf of my clients, and the district valuer on behalf of Moray Council.”
Mr Graham said the claims were being mounted under the Land Compensation Act 1963 and Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act 1961.
“It’s just a matter of making sure that the people who had the land beforehand are properly compensated,” he said. “It’s nothing out of the ordinary.”
Progress on the flood scheme can be seen on the west side of Forres, where a section of the A96 Inverness-Aberdeen road has been diverted temporarily.
The construction work will involve raising the level of the A96 for about 400 yards. A recent milestone was the reopening of the footbridge at Broom of Moy in September.
A 300ft extension to the structure more than triples the length of the bridge – which will now span the entire width of any projected floodwater flow.
Historically, the River Findhorn has caused serious flooding on a number of occasions. However, the last flood was in 1970.
The scheme is one of five major flood-protection projects in Moray.
Works at Lhanbryde, Rothes and the Burn of Mosset at Forres are complete, while work is ongoing on the £86million Elgin flood scheme.