Aberdeenshire Council is in line to spend almost £1million on flood protection studies for storm-battered communities across the region.
The local authority is asking councillors to get on board with plans for the surveys in Ellon, Ballater, the Stonehaven coast, Insch, and Inverurie and Port Elphinstone.
The council’s area committees are being asked to approve a flood management and coast protection programme for 2017-18.
Five flood protection studies costing £900,000 are being tabled alongside £828,000 worth of work to increase flood resilience in communities across the region.
This includes £30,000 worth of work towards bridge clearance work in Methlick, a £25,000 proposal to reinstate defences on Kintore’s Kingsfield Road and £10,000 of flood investigation in Rothienorman.
Councillors will also be asked to approve work to repair rock armour in Strathdon, replace a culvert in Newburgh and introduce new drainage in Ellon’s Bruce Crescent.
There are also plans to design a new flood relief road drain on Commercial Street and High Shore in Macduff, carry out seawall repairs in Crovie and create a flood defence wall in Lackie Head, Fraserburgh.
More than 600 homes and 100 businesses are estimated to have flooded across Aberdeenshire as a whole during Storm Frank from December 2015 into January 2016.
The Stonehaven Coastal Flood Protection Study would cost the council £250,000 and the Ballater one £200,000. The other three for Ellon, Insch, and Inverurie and Port Elphinstone have been estimated at £150,000 each.
A further £100,000 could go towards the development of surface water management plans in Aboyne, Inverurie, Huntly, Portlethen, Stonehaven, Westhill, Fraserburgh and Peterhead.
Council projects manager, Gavin Penman, said the work outlined in the report was derived from surveys, inspections and consultation with the public and local councillors.
He added: “Aberdeenshire Council has a duty to inspect watercourses from time to time and assess the flooding risks associated with them.
“The council is then required to undertake clearance and maintenance works where these will lead to a significant reduction in the flood risk to property.”
Last night chairman of the Ballater and Crathie Community Council, Jim Anderson, said: “It is great something is happening. It maybe should have been sooner, that is coming up to 16 months since the flooding.
“And £200,000 is a lot of money for a report. We still have the Cambus O’May and Polhollick bridges all needing repair. But Ballater is almost back to its old self.”
The Garioch and Buchan area committees will be the first to debate the report next Tuesday.