Wednesday April 22nd 2026
Artists impression shows walls and embankments which will be built as part of the Musselburgh Flood Protection Scheme
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
East Lothian councillors are being asked to approve another £6million spending on a flood protection scheme despite it being called in by Scottish Ministers and losing funding.
The Musselburgh Flood Protection Scheme (MFPS)has seen costs spiral since it was first put forward in 2016 with an £8.9million bill to the latest figure given by officers in a report next week as £103million.
The report confirms that a review of national flood projects by Scottish Government and local authority body Cosla has set a cap on the total cost of the Musselburgh scheme at just £35.6million.
And it appears to suggest that a project to restore the sea walls at Musselburgh which had previously been separated from the MFPS has now been added back in taking the cost from £53.9million, as previously publicly reported to councillors, up to more than £100million.
The MFPS has been called in by Scottish Ministers who have ordered a public local inquiry into it after it drew over 500 objections which the council said it could not resolve.
Until the outcome of the inquiry it is not clear whether the scheme will be allowed to go ahead , despite this councillors will next week be asked to confirm the next stage of its progress.
The report to councillors says that to ensure the local authority is in a position to qualify for the funds available, should the inquiry go in their favour they need to carry on with the detailed design of the project and start the construction procurement before a decision is made.
It says: “If approval is given by council to commence Stage 6, the detailed design would begin around August 2026, which is the date provided by the Design Consultant in their programme and which allows for pulling together the necessary resources.
“The estimated duration of Stage 6 is approximately 24 months. The estimate cost of Stage 6 is approximately £6 million.”
It adds that as with the arrangements for the total costs of the scheme, if approved, Scottish Government will pay 80 per cent of it and the council 20 per cent although that now is limited to the new £35.6million cap.
The public local inquiry is expected to take at least 14 months taking it to a conclusion at the end of this year at the earliest.
The report to councillors presents three options for moving forward given the new limit to funding set by the Scottish Government.
The preferred option from officers would be to deliver the areas of greatest and immediate risk covering the upper catchment interventions including the reservoir modifications on the South Esk, the debris management by Whitecraig, and the new physical defences along the river corridor at a total cost of circa £70million.
The other options include committing to the £106 million full scheme including the sea walls although it is now considered unlikely because of the cap or a third option of delivering the scheme in smaller phases on affordability.
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