A council has unveiled plans to stem the ravages of nature with major construction schemes to prevent flooding, landslides and coastal storm damage.
The schemes are included in plans to spend nearly £1 billion in 10 years in the Highlands, which were unveiled yesterday.
A report being presented to the full council next week sets out a firm five-year programme of £470 million and an indicative second five-year programme of a similar scale.
The SNP/Liberal Democrat/Labour coalition that runs the council sees the commitment as a way of restoring economic confidence in the north with the potential for 500 new jobs in the building industry.
These would be accompanied by jobs for young people through the new shared apprenticeship schemes.
The report to the council highlights that over the next five years, education, culture and sport is in line to benefit from £201m; transport, environmental and community Services will get £182m and Health and Social Care, £11m.
The council will increase its borrowing at a cost of £2.5m per year.
Amongst the transport projects is the A890 Stromeferry bypass. Some options being considered such as a tunnel, new road or bridge could cost more than £100m so the council accepts it will need additional funding.
Meanwhile, £11.5m is scheduled to build the Inverness West Link road which will eventually join the A82 Fort William to the A9 to Perth. More than £16m is to be spent preventing the River Ness flooding Inverness, assuming 80% grant funding while £1m has been earmarked for a sea tanker berth at Kinlochbervie.
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