Flood Defences
Flooding Mitigation
Storm Frank swept through Scotland on December 30, 2015, bringing flooding that devasted homes and businesses. Ballater was one of the worst hit villages.
Aberdeenshire Council await a funding decision from Scottish Government without which, their recommended Ballater flood defences will not be constructed.
The local community does not support this recommended 2019 scheme, since the economic and social cost to the community is deemed too high. In addition, the economic cost benefit of these defences for Ballater when compared to other projects in Scotland means that funding is unlikely to be granted. These are challenging times for local and central government finances, so that, rather than just waiting for something (or nothing) to happen, the community has decided that it must itself start doing something on the ground progressively to mitigate the existing flood risks.
The Ballater and Crathie Community Council’s Flooding Issues Group (FIG) has worked on various workstreams including establishing an emergency procedure with the local Fire & Rescue watch commander, encouraging the uptake of property level protection (PLP) and working with the Cairngorms National Park Authority and a multi-agency workgroup to look at catchment level solutions to water management.
HESCO Box Project
In the 8 years since Storm Frank the Dee in the vicinity of Ballater has changed significantly and keeps changing. A 2023 Aberdeenshire Council commissioned study showed that the risk to the community during high frequency low level flooding has increased significantly.
In face of this increased risk, Ballater Community Trust raised funds to implement some of the options recommended by the additional study. This involved the clearing of a partially blocked water course and the installation of 150-metre bund wall. The main funders for the project were the Ballater Charitable Chiels, the Ballater Caravan Park owners Ballater Community Enterprise Ltd and the Marr Area Committee.
In addition, two local estates, Balmoral and Invercauld, donated materials and Colin Lawson transport donated material Haulage. Aberdeenshire Council provided the 150 metres of Hesco boxes.
A group of local volunteers, the Ballater Royal Deeside Flood Action Community Team (FACT), led by Neil Duncan, worked alongside and under the direction of a local contractor. The bund was finished at the end of 2023, ahead of time and under Budget. The lower village now has some protection against lower level flooding and it has already kept the village dry on 22 January 2024.
The final phase is now being finalised and will involve covering the water side of the Hescos with soil, installing an erosion control mesh and then a final covering of top soil. The bund will then be seeded and watered depending on weather.
Ballater Community Trust is currently making a funding application to the Cairngorms National Park Authority climate adaptation fund to finance this phase. The funding decision is expected end of June and subject to that work will commence in July. We are very grateful to Abergeldie Estate for the donation of windblown trees and to Ballater Golf Club for providing the soil and as landowner for their general support. The wind blown trees will be transported on site and then placed in accordance with CBEC recommendations to aid further protection.
CBEC (Updated August 2025)
In May 2024, Ballater Community Trust employed CBEC Eco Engineering Ltd (cbec) to undertake an Outline Flood Mitigation Design. Originally 3 phases but now 5 phases of Flood Mitigation work:
Phase 1 - Outline Options
Phase 2 - Creation of Detailed Mathematical Model
Phase 3 - Application of Detailed Mathematical Model to Likely Options
Phase 4 - Design and Obtaining Necessary Consents
Phase 5 - Build
Phase 1 - Outline Option Work
The first phase provided mitigation options for various levels of flooding risk, with several defence options and associated costs. CBEC looked at both out of river and in river options, since many in the community favour dredging and profiling options and action on the Red Braes.
CBEC started Phase 1 Work at the end of May 2024 and completed it during August 2024. That report is available on the Ballater & Crathie Community Council’s (BCCC) website.
This report provided a basis for BCCC Flood Issues Group to consider and recommend to the community what to do, how to fund this and to move on with the 2nd and 3rd phases of work. Until we understood better the level of protection that we currently have, following recent works and what each option can add in terms of protection and what it will cost, it is difficult to decide how best to progress.
Phase 2
The next stage was to produce a detailed mathematical model of the current situation. The model results will assist in the selection of likely option(s) from the phase 1 work. This will provide a firm basis for the Phase 3 of the work, to put the likely options into the model and assess their benefits and indicative costs.
CBEC’s Phase 2 report is also now available on the Ballater & Crathie Community Council’s (BCCC) website.
Ballater Community Trust raised funds for this phase.
Phase 3
The next stage will be in applying the detailed mathematical modelling to the likely options and assess their effects and indicative costs.
After consultation with the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA), CBEC have been asked to look at options 3 and 8 and also an option 11 as to whether any intervention might reduce risks of water ingress at Dee Street and the Caravan Park
Ballater Community Trust is pleased that CNPA is co-operating on this phase.
Once this Phase has been completed and after consultation with land owners a follow up public meeting will be held to enable the community to understand and discuss the Phase 3 options and likely ways forward.
Phases 4 and 5
Proceeding with detailed design and build will require considerably more funding. The amount of money raised will determine the level of flood protection that can be built.
Ballater Community Trust are very pleased that CNPA are taking an active part in this project.
BCCC and Ballater Community Trust are acutely aware of the urgency of delivering Flood Mitigation Defences. They are therefore focused on ensuring the project phases proceed with the minimum of delay.
