The Bill will introduce new measures to reform the current legislation, the Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act 1961, transpose the planned EC Directive on the Assessment and Management of Flood Risks and provide a portfolio of responses for managing flood risk.
It will allow a modernised and sustainable approach to flood prevention with streamlined decision making. A consultation on how best to achieve this and a flooding summit with invited stakeholders to be held in Perth on September 10 will begin that process.
Proposals will take into account the recommendations of the Flooding Issues Advisory Committee (FIAC) and the planned EC Directive on the Assessment and Management of Flood Risks, which are expected to be adopted in the autumn and will need to be transposed into Scottish legislation within two years thereafter. This Bill is an opportunity to update and replace the existing legislation with a new Act that would embrace all aspects of flood management in Scotland.
Consideration will be given as to how best to take forward proposals to:
- Reform the Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act 1961 to clarify the public and private responsibilities for the management of flood risk
- Streamline the statutory decision making process for capital defences - the flood prevention and planning processes in particular
- Provide a portfolio of measures including rural land management, as well as the more traditional flood prevention schemes
- Coordinate available funds and measures to improve sustainable flood management in rural Scotland at a catchment scale, and combine them with downstream defences
- Encourage and fund small scale solutions at a local level
- Build on the river basin planning system established under the Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003 to improve flood risk management planning at the strategic level
- Improve flood risk maps with better information on the risks and consequences of flooding from rivers, the sea or groundwater
- Identify competent authorities responsible for the production of flood risk management plans
- Ensure that flood risk management plans are produced for all areas at significant risk of flooding
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