Aberdeenshire Council has the ball rolling on work to protect a community devastated by the floods which heralded in 2016.
The local authority has published a public contract to rebuild the Davidson Park bund at Port Elphinstone, which gave way when the River Don burst its banks on January 7.
Following the devastation of the floods, residents in Riverside Park – which neighbours the playing field – fought to have the embankment put back to its original level.
The torrent of water which flowed from the broken bund caused £2million of damage in Riverside Park alone. It also surged down to Canal Road and contributed to flooding there.
Residents claimed the defence was not properly maintained and had been weakened throughout the years by burrowing rabbits and the use of top soil to construct it.
In Inverurie and Port Elphinstone alone, 94 houses and 14 businesses were struck during Storm Frank.
The work to rebuild the bund involves demolishing the existing one, installing rabbit proof mesh and reinstating the public footpath.
Inverurie and District councillor, Bryan Stuart, said he was delighted to see the work progressing, but wants more done to keep Port Elphinstone safe from future events.
He said: “It is one of several flood-related issues. There still remains some issues about the lade at the back of Ladeside Road and also the bunding on the other side at Keithhall Road.
“If these items are attended to I’d like to see that done before the winter. That gives a fairly good degree of interim defence from a future flood event.”
Aberdeenshire Provost and fellow local councillor, Hamish Vernal, said: “I know it is some weeks and months but the speed things have happened given a council is involved and Sepa and residents is good, it is good news and good news too for the residents – who have expressed their anxieties.”
He added he hoped the bund would be built up before August.
Mr Vernal said: “It will be reinstated to the 2004 level with rabbit-proof mesh in. It is good news all round.”
Spokesman for the residents of Riverside Park, Frank Duguid, led the call for the bund to be put back to its original height.
Last night he said: “There is a lot of good things, they are putting it back to its original level, it is all fairly positive. It is fine to see it going and they are trying to get it done during the finer weather.”
