Brechin flood zone homes a ‘drain’ on Angus Council before Storm Babet struck

Expert reports have revealed council houses in the River Street area of Brechin were amongst the least popular in Angus before the disaster in October 2023

By Graham Brown

November 13 2024, 6:00am

Dozens of homes in the River Street area of Brechin are still empty after Storm Babet. Image: Paul Reid

Brechin council houses, still empty a year on from Storm Babet, struggled to attract tenants long before the flood disaster.

Rent loss from voids in the River Street area was four times the national average.

And tenant turnover was double the local rate.

Experts drafted in to deliver options for Brechin’s recovery estimate the unpopular homes would have been a £15 million drain on Angus Council over the next 30 years.

Locals urged to join information events

The housing data is contained within a raft of information being made available to residents in the next stage of the recovery programme.

Public consultation events have been organised for later this month.

Councillors and officials have stressed how vital it is for locals to take part.

And the future of nearly 60 flood-hit council homes which still sit empty is a key issue.

Brechin floods area map. — A map from the technical report showing affected homes in the River Street area. Image: Angus Council

Officials have already put a price tag on possible options for the council housing only.

• Reinstatement to original: £16.7m over 30 years.

• Remodelling. Full or part demolition and construction of new homes: £14.9m over 30 years.

• Relocation. Demolition of directly impacted council properties and new homes built elsewhere in Brechin: £7.7m over 30 years.

Unloved Brechin South housing

The housing experts’ study highlights the unpopularity of the houses pre-Babet.

“Angus Council’s BRSA (Brechin River Street Area) stock was not performing well pre-flood across a range of indicators when benchmarked to wider Angus Council stock, local peers and national averages,” said consultants Arneil Johnston.

They found there were just four applicants from a council housing list of 3,000 – 0.1% – with Brechin South as their first choice.

And 43 tenants are actively seeking to leave the area.

“This suggests a housing stock experiencing both tenancy and community sustainment issues,” the document adds.

The housing data sits alongside a 316-page report on what might be done to protect the cathedral city from another catastrophe on the scale of Storm Babet.

This includes the idea of beefing up the £16 million flood defence wall beside the South Esk.