Flood Risk Management In Scotland

Flood risk managementin ScotlandWorking together to deliverFlood Risk Management Strategies andLocal Flood Risk Management Plans

In Scotland, one in 22 homes and one in 13businesses are at risk of flooding from rivers,the sea, surface water and drainage systemsoverwhelmed by heavy rainfall.To help us manage flood risk and reduce the impacts onour communities, economy and environment, Scotland isdeveloping its first Flood Risk Management Strategies,published by Scottish Environment Protection Agency(SEPA) in 2015, and Local Flood Risk ManagementPlans, published by local authorities in 2016.www.sepa.org.uk/flooding

In partnership with local authorities andScottish Water, SEPA is taking action to manageflood risk in a more co-ordinated, sustainableand targeted way, where the benefits ofintervention will make the greatest impact.To support this new approach, Scotland has beenseparated into 14 Local Plan Districts. Thesedistricts are based on river catchments and crossadministrative and institutional boundaries,encouraging local authorities, Scottish Waterand SEPA to work closer than ever before.SEPA’s approach to Flood Risk ManagementPlanning is underpinned by the National FloodRisk Assessment. This provided the first nationalpicture of flood risk which looked at floodingfrom rivers, the sea and heavy rainfall in urbanareas. It identified 243 areas, called PotentiallyVulnerable Areas, which contain the greatestrisks from flooding in Scotland and where weshould prioritise our efforts.View the National Flood Risk Assessment: map.sepa.org.uk/nfra/map.htm

Building on the National Flood Risk Assessmentwe have produced a new flood map forScotland which gives us a better understandingof the location and character of flood hazard.The maps, which will help us to make flood riskmanagement decisions, consider flooding fromrivers, the coast, ground water and surfacewater.This change of approach was brought in bythe Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act2009, which also impacted on the waypublic bodies work together. It broughtabout more partnership working, so we canimprove our knowledge and understandingof flood risk collectively and be moreproactive in how we manage it.View the SEPA flood maps: map.sepa.org.uk/floodmap/map.htm

Timeline of FRM ActBaselineappraisal ofcurrent floodriskFRMAct2009NationalFloodAssessmentDec 2011Opportunities for NaturalFlood ManagementPrioritisationof actionsConsultation onFRM StrategiesFlood hazardand flood riskmapsFRMStrategies2015Identifying, appraisingand prioritising surfacewater issues and localFRM actionsLocal FRMPlans 2016Consultation onLocal FRM PlansFlood Risk Management StrategiesLocal Flood Risk Management PlansSEPA will produce a Flood Risk ManagementStrategy for each Local Plan District by the endof 2015. These strategies will set out the mostsustainable combination of actions to addressflooding in the areas at greatest risk, where thebenefits of intervention can have the greatestimpact. Taken together, the 14 Flood RiskManagement Strategies will provide a nationalplan for Scotland.Local Flood Risk Management Plans will take eachFlood Risk Management Strategy and turn it intoa local delivery plan. These will provide a summaryof local activity to manage flood risk and will beproduced by the lead local authority in each LocalPlan District. The plans, published in June 2016,will include delivery dates, consider funding andidentify how actions will be co‑ordinated at a locallevel for the next six years. This is the time thateach FRM Planning cycle will take. FRM Strategieswill cover three of these cycles.

Working togetherPartnership working and consultationare at the heart of tackling floodingin Scotland and there are a lot oforganisations helping us to manageflooding better. The National FloodManagement Advisory Group (NFMAG)has over 50 member organisations,reflecting the national importanceand wide impact of flooding onour communities, economy andenvironment. At the local level we alsoreceive advice and guidance from LocalAdvisory Groups to make sure thatlocal knowledge and circumstancesare taken into consideration. Throughmembership of the Scottish Advisoryand Implementation Forum forFlooding (SAIFF), local authorities, SEPA,Scottish Water, Forestry CommissionScotland and the National ParkAuthority share technical knowledgeand resources, and get advice from theScottish Government and other keyinterested organisations.FloodlineIt’s not just SEPA, local authoritiesand Scottish Water that have a role inmanaging flood risk, you have a part toplay too. Being prepared for floodingis one of the main ways you can helpto protect your family, your home oryour business. SEPA’s Floodline serviceprovides live flooding information andadvice on how to prepare for or copewith the impacts of flooding 24 hoursa day, 7 days a week. Our telephoneservice and website is available foreveryone to use and if you sign up toFloodline you’ll also receive free floodmessages direct to your phone.SEPA:www.sepa.org.ukScottish Water/FloodingScottish k

each FRM Planning cycle will take. FRM Strategies will cover three of these cycles. Timeline of FRM Act Baseline appraisal of current flood risk Opportunities for Natural Flood Management Prioritisation of actions Consultation on FRM Strategies FRM Act 2009 National Flood Assessment Dec 2011 Flood hazard and flood risk maps FRM Strategies 2015 .