Dundee Flood Protection Scheme

Project value: £6.5 million

Framework: Civil Engineering | Scotland

Local income generated (community benefits): £12.4m (£1.88 for every £1 spent)

SME spend: £2.4m

Value added through local employment opportunities: £0.7m

Local people employed (incl. supply chain): 184

School children and university students engaged: 807

Apprentice days: 110

Waste diverted from landfill: 13 tonnes

The project has been delivered effectively and efficiently and has had lots of positive comments from people saying that it has enhanced some of the waterfront walks."

Mark Flynn

Deputy Convener of Dundee City Council's City Development Committee

Reducing the risk of flooding to the new £1bn Dundee Waterfront area, this £6.5m project provided a vital upgrade to the existing wall defences along the sea line.

The project was procured by Dundee City Council via our Civil Engineering | Scotland framework, and Balfour Beatty engaged collaboratively to progress the client’s initial concept into a constructed asset. Funding was made available via the government due to the importance of the flood protection measures for Dundee.

The new flood protection scheme stretches from Camperdown Dock to the Tay Road Bridge and from Discovery Point to the Dundee University playing fields on Riverside Drive.

Our procurement process afforded Dundee City Council the opportunity to take advantage of the expertise that Balfour Beatty could offer, and to value engineer the final solution to align with the funding available.

The main objective of the project was to construct new flood protection measures for the new and existing assets in the central Dundee Waterfront areas. The project also formed an opportunity for the client to improve the aesthetic and usability of a number of areas along the length of the proposed scheme.

Construction incorporated a number of different types and methods in line with the client’s requirements.

Set-back flood protection walls of varying construction types and height. These included natural locally-sourced stone, reinforced concrete, concrete block, polished white concrete and facing brick, dependent on the aesthetic required for the location.
New footway construction with incorporated drainage channel and outfalls.
New surfaced car park area which utilised an economical drainage kerb.
Installation of a bespoke stainless-steel angle with incorporated edge protection post holders, which remained in place following completion to facilitate future maintenance and repair.
Natural stone paving laid over an area of circa 3900m².
New granite set feature area and natural stone steps to complement the historic Telford Beacon monument, situated adjacent to the Tay Road Bridge.
Architectural stainless-steel wire rope balustrade with incorporated gates, designed, supplied, and manufactured by a specialist metal work contractor based in Dundee.
Design, fabrication, and installation of thirty-one bespoke hinged flood gates to facilitate pedestrian, cyclist, and vehicular traffic from the dry side to the wet side of the set-back flood protection wall. These were supplied by specialist flood gate suppliers.
Supply of three bespoke demountable flood barriers installed where the conventional hinged gates were unfeasible.

During the course of the works, the most significant challenge other than the weather conditions, was that of the continuous interface with the general public.

Pedestrian, cyclist, and vehicle management were closely coordinated with Dundee City Council, thus ensuring that any issues were reviewed, risk mitigated and resolved positively.

Moving into the delivery phase and concluding the pre-construction phase, we worked closely with the client to value engineer the costs so that the overall cost of the scheme was aligned with the available government funding.

The SCAPE Civil Engineering | Scotland framework as the chosen procurement route was deemed invaluable to ensure the works could progress within the defined budget.

The new construction formed part of the existing footway/cycleway infrastructure that extends along the shore in Dundee, and has increased the safety and aesthetic of the area for all end users.

Read our report - Flood Defences for the Future

100%

of total spend with SMEs

£12.4m

local income generated (community benefits)

£0.7m

local employment opportunities