There is an urgent need for increased investment to complete the city’s flood protection projects and provide support for individual homeowners to put in place measures to protect their property.

The climate crisis is a huge challenge that we need to address through support for innovation, collaboration and long-term investment.  

This year, the council has worked in partnership with Scottish Environment Protection Agency to produce an updated flood model for the tidal reach of the River Clyde.

This has been completed through extensive surveys and sharing of local data to better understand current and future flood risk. There is a new flood model which is established to assess flood risk, support land-use planning decisions, and to inform climate adaptation.  

There is Designing with Water Guidance for Glasgow’s River Corridor which has been produced to assist the regeneration of the River Clyde area.  

We have to take into account that Glasgow city centre has been identified as a vulnerable area within the local plan developed to manage flood risk.

The climate evidence shows that sea levels in the Clyde are expected to rise. Also, tidal flooding is likely to occur, but only when astronomic spring high-tide coincides with a tidal surge caused by a low-pressure weather system.

 Without climate adaptation measures being taken, vulnerable areas that are currently exposed to occasional flooding from coastal storms and tidal surges will become inter tidal or permanently under water. Planning for sea level rise and tidal flood risk is critically important in our city’s current decision-making processes. Today’s investments will shape the infrastructure and land-use well into the next century.  

There is an opportunity to collaborate on the delivery of a River Park, which can be progressed through the development of vacant sites, but also by enhancing open space and natural networks along the river.

Green infrastructure or nature-based solutions could work to provide coastal protection and flood risk reduction. They can also provide many other benefits such as habitat, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, recreation and leisure.

There could be new tidal wetlands created in the vicinity of the River Clyde as part of the greening of Glasgow city centre.  

It is vital that there is collaboration between existing groups with an interest in management and development of the Clyde corridor in the year ahead. Nature-based solutions can be considered in the Clyde estuary through sharing of local expertise and knowledge about the river.

Also, there has to be support for wider public involvement in development of flood management plans for the River Clyde.

In efforts to bring about environmental improvements, we can support research programmes which increase understanding and retain knowledge of the river system and its wildlife.  

Given the predicted rise in the frequency and magnitude of both river and tidal flooding, councillors must continue to promote education and community engagement projects with communities along the River Clyde catchment.

Whilst the threat of flooding from the Clyde is nothing new, future generations of Clydesiders depend on all of us to take action to reduce flood risk.