Flat plan for Linlithgow High Street sunk amid flooding concerns

Planners said there would be no safe way for residents to evacuate from a ground floor flat at 4 High Street in the town – a C-listed property in the conservation area.

And the council’s flood risk engineers said that proposed defensive barriers were inadequate. The alterations would be out of keeping with the building, a planning officer said.

Craigs Eco Construction applied for planning permission to convert the ground floor into a flat. It has been used for years as a storage facility for an adjacent lawyer’s office but was, according to an agent for the applicants, originally a flat and retained a kitchen and bathroom. An upstairs flat is accessed by an external staircase.

Planning officer Wendy McCorriston said: “Given the climate emergency … the building is in an area which is at risk of flooding. SEPA guidance only supports changes of use where the vulnerability category is not higher than existing.

“In this case the vulnerability is increased when changing from a commercial to a residential use. Both SEPA and the council’s flood risk managers do not support a change of use in the area.”

She told the development management committee that SEPA had objected on the grounds that: “It has been demonstrated the property is at risk of both fluvial and surface water flooding and flood free access and egress would not be achievable.”

Noting the SEPA stance the council’s own flood risk engineers added objections, saying: “Although the proposal is for the redevelopment of an existing building, this would result in an increased land use vulnerability.”

Flood risk management engineer with the council, Fraser Keast, told councillors:”Generally development would not be suitable … regardless of what measures are put in place.”

Walter Wood, an agent for the applicant, said: “We are not questioning the seriousness of any flood risk.”

He said the building had been a family home for 170 years: “Our client wishes to change the building back to the residence it was. If there was a flood we have discussed putting discreet flood barriers to the front and rear doors of the property.”

He said the flood report suggested waters would rise along Blackness Road which would give residents time to fit barriers. Wider flood risk management for the town would have to be funded by the Scottish Government but as of yet there has been no decision on funding.

Mrs McCorriston said that the stance of planners had to be one of precaution.

This was picked up by Councillor Lawrence Fitzpatrick who told the meeting that if work was given the go- ahead: “there may be someone living in the house 10-20 years down the line who would adversely suffer”.

Councillor Pauline Stafford agreed said: “The precautionary approach is probably the right one given the direction of travel that climate change is going. The speed at which we are having to adapt is not quick enough, especially in Linlithgow – at such a high risk of flooding.”