Friday January 2nd 2026
Plans for Musselburgh's flood protection scheme
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
Scottish Ministers have confirmed they will hold a public inquiry into a controversial £54 million flood scheme for Musselburgh after councillors urged them to take control of the final decision.
East Lothian Council today confirmed they have been told the scheme has been called in by Scottish Ministers with a Reporter set to be appointed to hold an independent local inquiry.
The announcement comes three months after council officials said there were too many objections for them to overcome.
A report on the Musselburgh Flood Protection Scheme (MFPS) in September revealed nearly 500 objections remained outstanding against the proposals despite months of talks between officers and protesters.
Council officials asked elected members to give preliminary approval to the scheme without any modifications after coming to the conclusion there would need to be too many to appease objectors and they still would not address all the issues raised.
The move meant Scottish Ministers would be notified and asked to decide whether to hold a public inquiry or send it back to the council to decide through a local hearing.
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.
The council confirmed it would be down to Scottish Ministers to set a timeline for the public inquiry.
East Lothian Council leader Norman Hampshire said:
“We are pleased that Scottish Ministers have agreed to the council’s request for a public local hearing to take place.
It will give anyone with an objection to the current proposals the opportunity to express their concerns before Ministers make their decision. The council looks forward to working with Ministers and participating in this process.”
