A total of £18 million over four years towards the construction of the White Cart flood prevention scheme has been awarded to Glasgow City Council from the Scottish Government.

Michael Russell, Minister for Environment, has announced a further instalment of the grant to meet the construction of storage reservoirs at Blackhouse, Kirkland Bridge and Kittoch Bridge in the upper catchment of the White Cart and other works to be carried out in advance of the planned construction of defences within the city.

Speaking in Cathcart, Glasgow, Mr Russell said: "We are determined to help local authorities, such as Glasgow, to protect their vulnerable areas from flooding and this scheme will give a high standard of protection to homes and businesses along the river in Glasgow.

"The people of Cathcart, which has suffered flooding for almost 100 years, will be pleased to hear the Council is about to award the contracts for the construction of the upstream storage reservoirs in the upper catchment and here in Glasgow, the necessary advance works to prepare the ground for construction of the urban defences. The Scottish Government will be providing a further tranche of grants amounting to £18 million over the next four years to fund this phase of the scheme."

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Councillor Archie Graham of Glasgow City Council, whose ward of Langside has been affected by the flooding, said: "The White Cart has inflicted serious flooding damage to homes and businesses along its banks over many years. I know that today's announcement will be welcomed by the many people in the southside of Glasgow whose lives and properties have been devastated by the flooding.

"Glasgow City Council and our partners are determined that the White Cart flood prevention scheme will protect the people living along the banks of this river and take away the stress and insecurity they have had to face with every passing winter."

The White Cart Flood Prevention Scheme was confirmed, under the Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act 1961, by Scottish Ministers in May 2006. Construction of confirmed schemes meeting required technical, environmental and economic criteria attracts 80 per cent grant funding from the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government has made £42 million of grant funding available in 2007/08 to local authorities to support confirmed flood prevention and approved coast protection schemes.

In May 2006, previous Ministers confirmed that grant would be paid to the Council as construction of the White Cart Scheme proceeds. The grant announced is in addition to £2.7 million already paid to Glasgow City Council in 2006/07 towards the preliminary costs of the Scheme which it had incurred up to March 2007.

Glasgow City Council is constructing this scheme to protect over 1750 homes and businesses in Glasgow which have a history of flooding from the White Cart. The scheme provides for the construction of three flood water storage sites at Blackhouse, Kirkland Bridge and Kittoch Bridge to temporarily store flood flows with nine hectares of permanent wetlands created, together with approximately eight kilometres of low wall construction along the banks of the river within the city. The Scheme will reduce the present risk of flooding to less than 0.5 per cent annual risk taking into account the impacts of climate change over the life of the scheme.

(GK/JM)