This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Flooding guide for councils and developers
06/08/2004
A new guide for councils and developers on how to build
and plan where flooding is a problem was published
today.
The Scottish Executive's Planning Advice Note (PAN)
pulls together a large amount of information to help
prevent future development which risks being affected by
flooding.
Minister for Communities Margaret Curran said: "Flooding
can harm individuals, communities and businesses, and it
puts heavy demands on the emergency services and councils.
That's why we published the Scottish Planning Policy on
flooding earlier this year.
"That was intended to prevent new buildings and their
residents from suffering the effects of flooding. I've no
doubt it will mean that difficult planning decisions will
have to be taken by local authorities."
For the first time, the PAN draws together both planning
and building standards advice on flooding into one
document. It sets out information on the water environment
and the factors which contribute to flooding. This includes
watercourses, coasts, groundwater and the influence of
climate change.
It provides information on the impact of floodwater on
buildings and materials, and advice on flood resistant
materials and forms of construction that may be necessary
to obtain a building warrant. Many of the measures
described in the PAN will have a role to play as part of a
sustainable approach to flood management. The PAN also
contains advice on addressing flood risk in development
plans and in dealing with planning applications, and
promoting a flood prevention scheme.
Planning Advice Notes (PANs) provide information and
advice on good practice on implementing planning policy.
Policy on flooding is set out in Scottish Planning Policy 7
(SPP7). Both SPP7 and PAN 69 can be found at
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/planning
SPP7 was published in February 2004. It allows planning
authorities to refuse permission on the grounds of flood
risk and seeks a responsible attitude from developers in
considering proposals for new development. It also
recognises that predicted climate change may affect the
risk of flooding.