Section 33 – Flood risk management plans: review
111.Subsection (1) requires SEPA to review and update each flood risk management plan and to submit the updated plan to the Scottish Ministers by a date set by the Ministers. Article 14.3 of the Directive requires plans to be updated by 22nd December 2021 so subsection (2) requires the Scottish Ministers to set a submission date which they consider allows enough time for plans to be considered and approved in time to meet that deadline. Plans must then be reviewed and updated every 6 years, or earlier if the Scottish Ministers so direct.
112.Subsection (3) provides that a revised plan must contain the matters set out in Part 2 of schedule 1, in addition to the matters included in Part 1 of that schedule. The terms of Part 2 of schedule 1 largely mirror the terms of Part B of Annex 1 of the Directive.
113.Subsection (4) provides that objectives and measures must be set in the same way when plans are reviewed and updated as they were set for the original plan. It also provides for the same requirements on publication, consultation, submission and approval to apply to a revised plan in the same way as they do to an original plan. This gives Ministers the same control of the review process as they have for the original plan.