Section 48 – Consistency and co-ordination with characterisations and plans under the 2003 Act
155.This section sets out arrangements for coordinating flood risk assessment and management work under Part 3 of the Act, with river basin planning work required under Part 1 of the Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003, as required by Article 9 of the Directive. Subsection (1)(a) requires SEPA to secure appropriate consistency in the information in flood risk assessments, flood hazard and risk maps and flood risk management plans with information in characterisations of river basin districts and river basin management plans prepared under Chapter 2 of Part 1 of the 2003 Act. “Appropriate consistency” does not require the information contained in all documents under the Act to be entirely consistent with all documents under the 2003 Act so it will allow SEPA to decide, for example that documents do not need to be entirely consistent with documents from previous 6 year cycles.
156.Subsections (1)(b) and (2) require SEPA to coordinate the preparation and review of flood hazard and risk maps with characterisations of river basin districts prepared under the 2003 Act, and to coordinate preparation of flood risk management plans with river basin management plans prepared under the 2003 Act. SEPA is also required to coordinate the steps it takes to make maps and plans produced available for public inspection.
157.In addition to co-ordination under subsection (1)(b), subsection (1)(c) allows SEPA to choose to integrate flood hazard and flood risk maps with characterisations of river basin districts, and flood risk management plans with river basin management plans prepared under the 2003 Act.
158.Subsection (3) requires lead authorities to secure appropriate consistency between local flood risk management plans and characterisations of river basin districts and river basin management plans prepared under the 2003 Act.
