A special emergency services review later this year will hear claims the introduction of walls as part of a £54 million flood prevention scheme could put people at risk of drowning.
Scottish Ministers are weeks away from beginning a public inquiry into East Lothian Council’s proposed Musselburgh Flood Prevention Scheme (MFPS) which sparked hundreds of objections.
And a letter to the local authority last week confirmed a special session will be added to give police, fire, ambulance and coastguard representatives the chance to respond to public safety concerns.
It says topic raised in submissions by those involved in the hearings included concerns about graffiti on the proposed flood walls, public safety and access for emergency service to the coast.
It says emergency services should be invited to take part in the session to discuss concerns including “Risk of drowning because of improper use (or design concerns) of the proposed walls; access for emergency services to deal with river or coastal based incidents; ability of the emergency services to respond to water sports or other incidents involving users of the river and coast, due to proposed walls and embankment works and measures to promote safety of women and girls in public spaces.”
The emergency services session will be held virtually on November 18 and the letter says: “In light of the objections made in respect of the matters narrated the Reporter has directed East Lothian Council to intimate the terms of the proposed Scheme (under reference to these objections) to those emergency services, to facilitate the opportunity for them to make representations and, if desired, attend and participate in an assigned hearing session addressing these matters, for their respective interests.”
Scottish Ministers launched the public inquiry after East Lothian councillors asked them to take control of the final decision because there were too many objections for them to resolve.
A report on the scheme last year revealed nearly 500 objections remained outstanding against the proposals despite months of talks between officers and protesters.
The MFPS has sparked controversy in the town after costs soared from the original £8.9m in 2016 to a current estimate of £53.9million.’
Opponents of the MFPS, which includes the introduction of high walls through the town centre, want it paused claiming not enough work has been carried out to find ‘natural solutions’ instead of walls.
By Marie Sharp Local Democracy Reporter
