Chamber and committees

The Foresight report on Land Use Futures in the UK, due to be published next year, will inform the Scottish Government''s future policy.

No damage has been done or costs accrued as a result of flooding caused by natural or external influences at any core Scottish Government buildings. The Scottish Government has contributed to the costs to local government responding to flooding emergencies under the Bellwin scheme as tabulated.

Year	Total Grant
2001	£68,585
2004	£766,434
2005	£721,737

 

Climate change scenarios produced for the UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) and research published by the Scottish Government and the UK Government, mentioned below, indicate that there will be an increase in the frequency of severe rainfall and storm events, which could lead to an increase in the frequency of flooding and coastal erosion. The next generation of climate scenarios for the UK, UKCIP08, will assist in predicting and identifying the risks of flooding.

The Scottish Government research reports, Climate Change: Flooding Occurrences Review (2002) is available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/156664/0042098.pdf and Climate Change: Review of Levels of Protection Offered by Flood Prevention Schemes UKCIP02 update (2003) at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/02/18789/32059.

The Foresight Future Flooding Report published in April 2004 can be accessed from http://www.foresight.gov.uk/Previous_Projects/Flood_and_Coastal_Defence/index.html.

The Scottish Government has published its research on Climate Change: Flooding Occurrences Review (2002) at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/156664/0042098.pdf.

and Climate Change: Review of Levels of Protection Offered by Flood Prevention Schemes UKCIP02 update (2003) at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/02/18789/32059.

The United Kingdom Climate Impacts Programme expects to publish, later this year, a revised and updated set of tools and statistics to assist predicting and identifying the effects on flooding.

The Scottish Government has increased the amount distributed to local authorities for flood prevention to £126 million over the next three years. It is for the local authorities to decide how to allocate the funding at their disposal according to local priorities. Resources necessary to meet the Flood Risk Management Planning requirements of the forthcoming Flooding Bill will be considered in due course.

The Scottish Government through its Flooding Policy team maintains an overview on all scientific evidence that provides examples of sustainable flood risk management. It is also a founding member of the EU funded CRUE Eranet, which provides a structured framework for information and its exchange on all European research work in the field of flood risk management.

Research and investigations undertaken for England and Wales also provide a source of empirical work and Scotland is integrated within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Environment Agency joint research programme. Evidence structured in this fashion enables lessons and best practice to be disseminated to Scottish stakeholders quickly and efficiently. The Scottish Government also provides a unique research and knowledge management service via the Research Information Service for Flood Risk Management (RISE) at www.sniffer.org.uk/rise .

The forthcoming Flooding Bill will transpose the EC Directive on the Assessment and Management of Flood Risk, requiring member states to identify and map areas at significant risk of flooding by December 2013. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has published its Indicative River and Coastal Flood Map (Scotland) showing land at flood risk at an annual probability greater than 0.5%, which is available at http://www.sepa.org.uk/flooding/mapping/index.htm.

In the Forth estuary there are completed flood prevention schemes at Kincardine, Grangemouth and Prestonpans, with a further scheme under construction at Bo''ness. In the Tay estuary, there are completed schemes at Perth and Bridge of Earn. In the Clyde, completed schemes are at Largs, Rothesay and Gourock, with a further scheme under construction at Saltcoats and one planned to start later this year at Renfrew.

Flood storage is a component of the Perth scheme.

There are several thousand sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) in Scotland and therefore it would be impractical to list those located in the Forth, Tay and Clyde catchments. Since 2006, the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2005 (GBR10) require SUDS for the majority of new developments and Scottish Planning Policy 7 “ Planning and Flooding states that surface water run off from development should be fully or partially drained by a sustainable drainage system unless this is impracticable.

Property-level flood mitigation is a matter for individual householders to consider as appropriate.

The Scottish Government believes that, given the scientific uncertainties of climate change, the categorisation of current flood risk is more appropriate.

The Scottish Government has published two chapters of the guidance to local authorities on Flood Prevention Schemes. The remaining chapters will be published in due course.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/publications/2005/10/0794935/49513.

Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 7 and the associated Planning Advice Note (PAN 69) provide guidance to local authorities on taking flood risk into account in development planning, and on the use of water resistant materials and forms of construction.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/publications/2004/02/18880/32952.