EXCLUSIVE: £600,000 paid on River Ness flood work compensation
MORE than £600,000 in compensation has been paid out to businesses and residents affected by the River Ness flood scheme so far, The Inverness Courier can reveal.
The £24.75 million project has been designed to protect around 800 homes and 200 businesses in the centre of Inverness but has caused significant disruption since work started in October 2012.
Traders on Bank Street and Huntly Street have complained about the pace of the work and reacted angrily last December when Inverness councillor Thomas Prag predicted they would have forgotten about the upheaval within a year.
A freedom of information request to Highland Council showed that seven claims had been settled while six others had indicated they intend to claim.
The District Valuer has advised the council to budget for at least £1 million to be paid out in compensation, although this could rise if further unexpected problems arise.
"Paying out this money shows how severe the disruption has been," said Hugh Nicol, owner of the Riverside Gallery in Bank Street. "Certainly the disruption could have been reduced. It will be nice when it is done, it won’t suddenly double everyone’s figures overnight but it will help businesses.
"This work has been a threat to lots of businesses and affected a lot of people living here."
Council director of development and infrastructure Stuart Black stated that claim payments ranged from hundreds of thousands of pounds for businesses whose land had been directly affected by the works, to thousands of pounds to businesses in close proximity to the works.
To succeed with a claim a business must demonstrate to the District Valuer, through its accounts, a loss of profits during the period when the work was carried out.
The valuation office then advises the council if a payment should be made. Leaflets have been distributed to homes and businesses in areas affected by the scheme.
Inverness Central councillor Donnie Kerr said the amount of compensation paid so far did not come as a surprise and encouraged those who had not filed a claim to do so.
"These people have genuinely lost out on a lot of business," he said. "I expected there would be a lot of claims the way this has dragged on. Douglas Row has been closed for a year and a half and I am not happy with the pace of the work."
An exact date for completion of the entire flood scheme project has not been announced although the council’s head of infrastructure has previously stated it remains on track to finish in spring.
