A news article is being run on the BBC website and the news bulletins this morning about the worries over flood insurance for vulnerable areas.

Tens of thousands of people who were flooded in 2007 may find it impossible to get cover for their homes and businesses unless the government and insurers reach a new agreement.

Campaigners say the government needs to act quickly as guarantees on vulnerable homes are due to end in June 2013.

The Association of British Insurers argues the agreement was a temporary measure and has distorted the market.

It wants the government to offer more help.

To put it simply, the insurance industry committed to keep flood insurance affordable for at risk communities so long as the Scottish and UK government, local authorities and agencies make progress on flood protection and prevention. The real concern is not enough or slow progress is being made for the insurance industry to recommit to such arrangements in the future.

A spokesman for the Association of British Insurers, speaking on BBC Breakfast, confirmed more commitment from government was required and hinted at the need for a government  subsidy so at risk communities can be provided with affordable flood coverage.

The ABI and the Scottish Government compiled “A Joint Statement on the Provision of Flood Insurance” back in December 2008.

Freuchie, Falkland and the Newton of Falkland have all been recognised by SEPA as areas at risk of flooding.

SEPA has informed us of the next step in the recent consultation.

Flooding in Scotland: A consultation on Potentially Vulnerable Areas and Local Plan Districts closed on Monday 15 August.  Thank you for taking time to consider and respond to this consultation.  SEPA has incorporated information and responses into the National Flood Risk Assessment and has reviewed Potentially Vulnerable Areas and Local Plan Districts based on responses and accompanying information provided during the consultation. 

Today, SEPA is submitting proposals for Potentially Vulnerable Areas and Local Plan Districts to Scottish Ministers.  This submission also includes a digest of the responses we received to the consultation and a summary of actions taken by SEPA.

A copy of the submission can be found on SEPA’s website.

Following SEPA’s submission to Scottish Ministers, a revised National Flood Risk Assessment will be published in December 2011.  The finalised set of Potentially Vulnerable Areas and Local Plan Districts will be published by SEPA and the Scottish Government in December 2011.

If you have any queries relating to the Flooding in Scotland consultation or Ministerial submission, please contact SEPA’s flood risk management planning team, floodactconsultation@sepa.org.uk or call 0131 273 7262.

Lots of information to digest for many flood affected and at risk communities!

FFAG will be looking through the proposals to evaluate the impact of the submissions made by Fife Council and ourselves.

It is time for flood hit communities to check your area is recognised as an area at risk from flooding.

SEPA is conducting the following consultation:

Flooding in Scotland: A consultation on Potentially Vulnerable Areas and Local Plan Districts, seeks your views on how the National Flood Risk Assessment identifies areas for flood risk management planning and was launched by the Minister for the Environment, Stewart Stevenson, at the Braid Burn in Edinburgh. Your responses will help us to identify those areas in Scotland where public bodies should focus their efforts.

The consultation can be found here.

Freuchie belongs to the “Tay Estuary and Montrose Basin” Local Plan District.

At the November 2010 Enterprise, Environment & Transportation Committee meeting of Fife Council, a report on the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 and its implications for Fife Council was submitted by the Head of Transportation Services for consideration by councillors. FFAG has a previously blog post about this meeting.

John A Thomson, Chairman of FFAG, attended this meeting and came away with the concern that some councillors didn’t fully appreciate the legal duty being placed onto the council nor the financial and resourcing requirements.

One of our biggest fear was and still is the lack of ring fencing of the additional funds being released from the Scottish Government to assist with the transitional arrangements from the old 1961 Act to the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009. Councillors mustn’t underestimate the amount of money it is going to take nor the scale of the task to comply with the new legislation.

The minutes of this meeting state:

366. FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT (SCOTLAND) ACT 2009

The Committee considered a report by the Head of Transportation Services advising on the phased implementation of the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 and the important implications for Fife Council arising from the implementation of the Act.
Decision

The Committee agreed:-

1. that further reports would be submitted to the Environment Enterprise and Transportation Committee following the introduction of legislation on Flood Risk Management
2. to note the financial and resource implications for Fife Council arising from the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009; and
3. to note the need to assist SEPA to prepare for local Flood Risk Management Plans and to comply with the new statutory duties.

It is welcome to see the committee has placed the above statement into the public domain; words that go some way to alleviate the concerns of FFAG. However we make this plea to the councillors; please don’t eye up the transitional funding for other projects until the FRM Act is fully implemented.

FFAG will continue to lobby our representatives and monitor progress as Fife Council works to fully implements the FRM Act.

Technorati Tags: Fife, Fife Council, flood, Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009, Scottish Government, SEPA

Freuchie Community Council is now on Facebook. This is an exciting development for the community to keep abreast of the activities of our community council and a new mechanism for our community councillors to share with the community.

Here’s the link:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Freuchie-Community-Council/198227933534132

Remember to hit the “Like” button if you want the latest news and updates from Freuchie Community Council.

Technorati Tags: Facebook, Freuchie, Freuchie Community Council

Whilst out and about yesterday, we spotted a manhole cover was missing, most probably stolen. The manhole in question was installed by Fife Council last year as part of the new Freuchie Mill Road surface drainage improvement scheme. This is a disgraceful theft of important infrastructure.

Photo: Missing manhole cover at Freuchie Mill Road

Fife Council Transportation Services was immediately made aware of this issue and should be dealing with it promptly. Yet again the poor taxpayer has to pick up the bill.

A Freuchie Mill resident has just informed us the theft occurred sometime between Thursday evening and Friday morning. He tried to report the missing manhole cover to Fife Council only to be told it was Scottish Waters’ responsibility, who he subsequently telephoned. FFAG has asked Fife Council to clarify who is actually responsible for this surface drainage scheme.

Let us be clear to thieves that Freuchie residents will call out the Police to investigate any suspicious individual milling about or in the  act of committing a criminal offence.

Residents of Freuchie who use the old county road / track down to the Kettle Produce plant should take care not to fall into this danger. It’s probably wise to keep a tight lead on your dogs as you go past.

This incident will be reported on at the Freuchie Community Council meeting held tonight at 7:30pm in the Lumsden Hall.

UPDATE
Fife Council has promptly confirmed the drainage scheme is their responsibility. Looks like someone needs to tell the telephone call handlers .

Fife Council has now made the site safe by placing a pallet over the manhole chamber and putting a couple of road cones on top. Hopefully it won’t be too long before this temporary measure is replaced by something permanent and more secure.

A thanks goes to Fife Council for the prompt action.

A police officer from Cupar Police Station has been out to look over the crime scene and to take a statement.

Technorati Tags: Cupar, Fife, Fife Council, Freuchie, Freuchie Mill Road, police, Scottish Water

We would like to thank Cllr David MacDiarmid for showing up yesterday early evening to check on how Freuchie was standing up to the rainfall. He was only away about fifteen minutes when the high drama began at Freuchie Mill.

We appreciate his concern and continued support.

Technorati Tags: Cllr David MacDiarmid, Freuchie, Freuchie Mill

Freuchie has been recommended as the next priority area for a flood scoping study in a Fife Council report being submitted to the Environment, Enterprise and Transportation Committee next week.

In the report Jim Moodie, Lead Officer for Harbours, Flood and Coast, has recommended:

“Priority areas with identified flood risk, that require flood studies, indicated within the Fife Flood Alleviation Report 2009, are Freuchie Village including Freuchie Mill, Falkland Village and East Wemyss. Further locations will be identified under the Act as all sources of flooding require to be considered, including surface water over land flow, agricultural drainage, groundwater / springs and coastal flooding.

At this time it is considered that the next flood study should be progressed at Freuchie Village including Freuchie Mill, which is the location most likely to produce various forms of viable economic flood alleviation options in view of the number of properties at risk from flooding from a variety of sources. This will focus efforts on an area and a community at greatest risk of flooding.“

This is a very welcome development indeed and is certainly movement in the right direction for our flood prevention and protection campaign.

Hopefully the elected members will be in agreement with the report.

UPDATE:
Councillors approved the FRM Act report at Thursday’s meeting of the Enterprise, Environment  & Transportation committee meeting.

RESOURCES:
Report:
http://www.fife.gov.uk/publications/index.cfm?fuseaction=publication.pop&pubid=3F5C0B3A-BB8D-EA3F-5AAD56B99DF8288D

Meeting Homepage:
http://www.fife.gov.uk/fife_council/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.orgdisplay&objectid=209E710F-DC3B-E609-5B7AADDE940FE0EB&orgid=60304273-A856-11D6-BF4D0002A5349AC9&pageid=27323C99-65BF-00F7-D5CA78C602143047   
[ TinyURL version: http://tinyurl.com/37cdgvr ]

Technorati Tags: East Wemyss, Falkland, Fife Council, flood, flooding, Freuchie, Freuchie Mill, Jim Moodie

Freuchie Flood Action Group would like to say a hearty thank you to Ewen Jardine for his advice, assistance and sheer hard work in relation to flooding over the last few years. As secretary of Freuchie Community Council his support was vital to FFAG and Freuchie residents in our efforts to deal with flooding and the many issues that impact upon flood risk.

Unfortunately Ewen did not put himself forward for re-election at the recent community council elections – a loss for Freuchie. However Ewen will still be kicking around Freuchie as he is still very active with other community groups in the village.

Our best wishes go to Ewen with all his current and future projects.

Technorati Tags: Ewen Jardine, FFAG, Freuchie, Freuchie Community Council, Freuchie Flood Action Group

Fife Council and other partners involved in flooding incidents have been working hard behind the scenes to analyse and develop an improved and better integrated response for communities at risk from flooding. A review report was submitted to the October 2010 meeting of the Environment, Enterprise & Transportation Committee and makes for very interesting reading to those of us with an interest in flooding. More information here.

Fife is certainly better prepared for moderate and heavy rainfall events with these new measures and additional resources. The notorious culvert at Freuchie Mill is one of the Priority 1 flood risk areas that receives special consideration. Transportation Services has also indicated Greentree Brae bridge will be added once the new bridge is constructed. FFAG will be considering if there are other areas of Freuchie that should be examined for inclusion in the new inspection regime.

The personnel from the various organisation who contributed to the major improvements highlighted in this document should be commended for their effort and professionalism.

Here’s hoping Freuchie doesn’t need to test out the new equipment and full emergency flooding response.

RESOURCES
Emergency Flooding Procedure Review – Oct 2010

Technorati Tags: flooding, Freuchie, Freuchie Mill, Fife, Fife Council, Greentree Brae