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Caravans at flood-hit Deeside park earmarked for demolition

Richard Lochhead with Gordon Bruce at the caravan site in Ballater earlier this year. Picture: Jim Irvine.
Richard Lochhead with Gordon Bruce at the caravan site in Ballater earlier this year. Picture: Jim Irvine.

Caravans at an Aberdeenshire tourist site, which were badly damaged when the River Dee burst its banks earlier this year, are now being lined up for demolition.

The clearing of the Ballater Caravan Park is ongoing and several static units are now earmarked to be crushed.

The site was one of the biggest tourist draws in the Deeside village, which bore the brunt of Storm Frank after it struck the north-east on December 30.

Caravans were sent floating down the Dee and crashing into bridges; with many of those not washed away left in ruins.

In total, 102 statics were housed at the site when the floods swept in, 40 of which ended up missing.

Many have been left beyond repair, but several owners hoping to salvage their units have been given time to remove them from the site.

Now, the directors of the park say they are confident they will have their touring site open to some 50 caravan lovers by May – in time for the summer season.

The touring site has 46 stances for caravans plus room for tents.

The total cost of clearing the site is expected to be £100,000.

Some 600 homes and 100 businesses were devastated by the floods across Deeside; of which 307 houses and 60 businesses were in Ballater.

Chairman of the caravan park, Gordon Bruce, said: “We’re hoping to open on May 1. The main thing is to try and get the touring site going, get a wee chink of light we are turning a corner, and – for the sake of Ballater – grab the tourists that are coming.

“The touring site will help, (but) we will miss 100 caravans and that could be 200 to 300 people during the summer spending money in the Ballater shops.”

He added the village needed a “temporary” solution to protect the community against any further flood events.

Mr Bruce said: “The big question mark is the river. We need the work done on the river. And they are looking at that, but when it comes will be the main thing.

“We are scared now of any snow melt or big rain. We do need a temporary fix and in the longer term – a bigger fix. But that normally takes a few years.”

He added the full reopening “could be done next year”.

He added: “It will have to be looked at and it might have to be a different site altogether.”