A NEW website for Musselburgh’s £42 million flood protection scheme has gone live to provide a “one-stop shop” for information about the project.

A spokesperson for the scheme said that the new website was being launched earlier than originally intended in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and requests from stakeholders.

The website is one part of the scheme’s new communication strategy, which has been developed to ensure the project team can “communicate effectively” with all those involved.

A spokesperson said: “At this point, the priority is to make the new website live. This is now achieved.

“However, we recognise that there are a number of important pages not yet published.

“The project team will continue to develop these new pages and will systematically publish them between now and the end of the year.”

A new local area consultation group has also been set up for the Inveresk area.

The spokesperson added: “The project team has now held the six intended local area consultation meetings.

“After feedback from local communities, the project team have determined it appropriate to form a seventh local area consultation group with the Inveresk area.”

The first meeting of the group will take place online today (Thursday).

The team will be out hand-delivering letters to the Inveresk area in the coming weeks with more information.

The Musselburgh Flood Protection Scheme, which aims to introduce defences against a one-in-200-year risk of flooding in the town, was initially expected to cost £8.9million when first put forward in 2016.

Project manager Conor Price previously told East Lothian Council that the cost had more than trebled as

the threat to the town went from being mainly from the River Esk, which flows through it, to being more from the surrounding coastal boundary, due to climate change.

The flood protection work, expected to start in 2025, will see defence barriers – which will be a mix of walls of undecided height and heightened embankments – run from Tesco on the east bank of the River Esk out to the coast and along to join the existing sea wall there.

On Eskside East (Tesco), the new barriers will extend all the way up to Inveresk and thereby all around Eskmills.

On the west side of the town, the barrier will run from Brunstane Burn on its edge, along the coast and inland at the mouth of the Esk to Campie Road.

Bridges over the river in the town identified to be removed and replaced are Goosegreen footbridge, Electric Bridge and Shorthope Street footbridge.

It is also proposed to replace the Ivanhoe footbridge.

The project team is intending to publish the flood maps for the town before Christmas or in January.

To access the website, go to musselburghfloodprotection.com