The estimated annual average cost of flood damage within the Tay district - covering the majority of Perth and Kinross - is £11.4 million.
The latest Local Flood Risk Management (FRM) plans and reports look set to be approved by Perth and Kinross councillors on Monday.
The final drafts will go before Perth and Kinross Council's Climate Change and Sustainability Committee for approval on Monday, December 19.
The process of risk assessment, mapping and planning needs to be repeated every six years in line with the 2009 Flood Risk Management Scotland Act. The Scottish Government requires the latest six-year plans to be published by December 31, 2022.
In the Tay local plan district 14 areas have been identified as being potentially vulnerable to flood risk. It has been estimated the number of people at risk could rise from 13,000 people to 21,000 by the 2080s due to climate change.
The plan states: "Currently it is estimated that there are around 13,000 people and 9,000 homes and businesses at risk from flooding in the Tay Local Plan District. This may increase to 21,000 people and 13,000 homes and businesses by 2080s due to climate change. The expected annual cost of flooding over a long period of time is around £11.4 million."
The Tay district covers the majority of Perth and Kinross. It spans from the southern part of the Cairngorms National Park down to the Firth of Tay. As the lead authority Perth and Kinross Council is required to publish the final report for the Tay district. PKC is also required to contribute to the final reports for the three local FRM plans covering parts of the Tay Estuary and Montrose Basin, the Forth and the Forth Estuary.
The Tay district report has been developed in partnership with: SEPA (the Scottish Environment Protection Agency), Scottish Water, Scottish Forestry, the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority, the Cairngorms National Park Authority, the Scottish Flood Forum, Angus Council, Fife Council, Stirling Council, Forestry and Land Scotland, and Transport Scotland.
The final draft report on the plan concludes that since the 2016 plan was published "good progress" was made in the first four years until the first of the COVID lockdowns in March 2020 and the "severe flooding of August 2020 further exacerbated this situation".
However, a large flood protection scheme in Almondbank was "substantially completed in 2018" and work on a major flood scheme in Comrie has started.
The plan outlines actions to "avoid and reduce the risk of flooding" and to "prepare and protect ourselves and our communities within these potentially vulnerable areas and across the local plan district". Actions include six flood protection schemes; nine flood studies and five surface water management plans.
Perth and Kinross has 17 of the 235 Potentially Vulnerable Areas (PVAs) -areas identified as being at medium to high risk of flooding - in Scotland.
Within those 17 PVAs there are 22 Objective Target Areas - or hotspots - where the majority of the focus will be.
Flood schemes are 80 per cent funded by the Scottish Government and 20 per cent by Perth and Kinross Council. Last month councillors were told the Scottish Government/COSLA is reviewing capital funding due to costs having increased. Funding is in place for the £28 million scheme in Comrie, the £2 million Milnathort flood scheme and the £4 million Kinross scheme. The £0.8 million Scone scheme will progress at a later stage due to current insufficient funding from the Scottish Government.
In November the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee was also told there is no funding in place for the second cycle of schemes which includes flood schemes in Aberfeldy, Pitlochry, Blackford and a £0.4 million surface water measure in Bridgend, Perth.
There are 10 flood studies being carried out across parts of Perth and Kinross including Dunkeld, Perth, Craigie Burn, Scone, Bridge of Earn, Luncarty, Blair Atholl and Methven. There are also seven surface water management plans being conducted across Milnathort, Perth, Blairgowrie, Rattray, Scone, Comrie, Kinross and Aberfeldy.
The Climate Change and Sustainability Committee has been recommended to approve the final draft reports and local plans when it meets on Monday, December 19. Councillors have been asked to authorise PKC's executive director of Communities Barbara Renton to carry out any final minor amendments - if required - before they are published on December 21, 2022.
