Scottish Water has submitted a planning application for a multi-million-pound scheme to tackle sewer flooding in Stewarton.

The project is part of a £12million package of investment in the town to alleviate sewer flooding, improve waste water services for customers and help protect the local environment.

A new ‘relocated’ screened combined sewer overflow (CSO), and a giant underground storm storage tank capable of holding nearly a million litres of water, will be constructed in Barbours Park if planning permission is secured.

Storm flows will be redirected from sewers which are overloaded during times of heavy rainfall.

It will be safely stored until the weather has subsided, at which point the storm water will be pumped back into the sewer network and will flow downstream to be treated at the waste water treatment works.

Kieran Downey, flooding manager at Scottish Water, said: “The area has suffered from regular sewer flooding in recent years and we have designed the project using data from heavy rainfall events and computer hydraulic modelling on the sewer network.

“Working together with East Ayrshire Council, Barbours Park was identified as the most suitable location to accommodate the new underground tank and of course the area will be fully reinstated afterwards.

“This is a significant piece of the investment jigsaw for Stewarton’s sewer network to tackle the problem of sewer flooding.”

As well as the Holm Street/Barbours Park project, various other sewer network improvement schemes are due to be delivered in Stewarton.

In David Dale Avenue the utility company plans to carry out the second phase of a project to alleviate external and internal sewer flooding.

A new screened CSO is planned in Kirk Glebe, while the existing CSO at the Kirkford Bridge is planned for replacement and upgrading.

In addition the company plans to increase the size of the combined sewer pipework in High Street at Bridgend to increase capacity, and to carry out similar work to sewer capacity in Holm Street.

The Barbours Park project is being delivered by Caledonia Water Alliance (CWA).