River basin management planning in the Solway Tweed river basin district: guidance

SEPA and EA should align and use common procedures and methods to produce integrated outcomes (including documents) for stakeholders, submission to Ministers and the European Commission.

SEPA and EA should use their own procedures, methods and data systems but work together to share and transfer information and data to produce a joint outcome. This would recognise existing processes, plans and controls in Scotland and England for managing the water environment.

Plan of Action

(Statement of steps and consultation measures)

Integrated

The Agencies must:

• produce an integrated report on the high level structures (such as AAG and Forum) for engaging stakeholders, supported by a conflict resolution process;
• review Plan of Action at the beginning of each river basin planning cycle.

By December 2006:

report released for consultation.

By December 2012:

revised Plan of Action for second river basin planning cycle.

Summary of significant water management issues

Coordinated (first cycle)

The Agencies must produce a summary report for the RBD, based on characterisation data and shared information held by SEPA, EA and other stakeholders.

By December 2007:

report released for consultation.

Integrated (second cycle and beyond)

The Agencies must produce an integrated summary report based on an agreed common methodology to characterisation and shared information held by SEPA, EA and other stakeholders.

By December 2013:

report released for consultation.

Draft River Basin Management Plan

Integrated

The Agencies must produce a single plan for the RBD with single set of objectives and summary programme of measures based on shared information held by SEPA, EA and other stakeholders.

By December 2008:

draft RBMP published for consultation.

River Basin Management Plan

Integrated

The Agencies must jointly make available to interested stakeholders the submitted RBMP when provided to the Ministers. Once approved the Agencies must jointly publish the approved RBMP.

The Agencies must report a single dataset for RBMP into WISE and advise the Ministers on any issues with respect to submission to Europe.

By September 2009:

RBMP submitted for approval.

By December 2009:

approved RBMP available to RBD stakeholders.

By March 2010:

data reported into WISE for Secretary of State to approve submission to European Commission.

Impact Assessment ( IA)

Integrated

The Agencies and relevant government officials in Scotland and England should agree a common process of development of the Impact Assessment for this RBD in line with Cabinet Office requirements.

This will draw on information from draft RBMP and supporting economic analysis undertaken in Scotland and England.

By December 2008:

partial RIA released concurrently with draft RBMP in 2008 for consultation.

By December 2009:

full RIA will be released with approved RBMP.

Strategic Environment Assessment ( SEA)

Integrated

The Agencies should conduct Strategic Environment Assessment in line with the

Environment Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004 ( SI2004/1633) to:

• integrated scoping report;
• integrated Environment Report;
• integrated SEA statement.

This will be conducted in line with the time-frames and commitments in the Plan of Action report.

By December 2007:

integrated scoping report provided to statutory consultees.

By December 2008:

single SEA report released concurrently with draft RBMP in 2008.

By December 2009:

SEA statement issued with revised RBMP in 2009.

River Basin Characterisation Report ( RBC)

Integrated

(second cycle and beyond)

The Agencies must update and report changes in characterisation data (including economic analysis of water use) for the Solway Tweed RBD.

By December 2016:

reported to European Commission as part of RBMP

Classification methods and classifying water bodies

(classification schemes and environmental standards and conditions)

Coordinated

The classification process will be developed on a UK basis but transposed on a Scotland and England basis.

The Agencies must coordinate the classification process in the Solway Tweed RBD and jointly classify water bodies that straddle the border.

SEPA and EA must take account of any relevant statutory/policy mechanisms in Scotland and England respectively which define application of UK biological classification schemes and environmental standards and conditions.

By June 2008:

inclusion of provisional classification results information in the draft RBMP.

Setting objectives

Coordinated

The Agencies must share information on and agree objectives for cross-border water bodies.

The Agencies must take account of objective setting processes set out for Europe, UK, Scotland and England. Underpinning procedures to set objectives must be compatible and comparable.

Economic analysis supporting objective-setting in Scotland and England approaches will be based on common principles. There may be some differences in application due to procedures and base-line information collected in line with existing legislative requirements.

By June 2008:

inclusion of provisional objectives in the draft RBMP.

Developing programme of measures

Coordinated

The development of a programme of measures must be as co-ordinated as possible for the whole RBD.

The programme of measures must be compatible where there are shared water bodies or water bodies that straddle the national boundary. In such circumstances the Agencies should work together to develop a single set of appropriate measures. This will aid reporting of the summary of Programme of Measures in the draft RBMP. The information provided should be at an appropriate level of detail and comparable across the RBD.

The Agencies must utilise available regulatory and other mechanisms in Scotland and England pertaining to the respective area of Solway Tweed RBD. The Agencies should actively encourage opportunities for partnership initiatives to deliver the RBMP.

By June 2008:

inclusion of proposed programme of measures in the draft RBMP.

Coordinated

The Agencies should agree an approach for future review of the effectiveness of the programme of measures (including possible amendment to monitoring networks).

By March 2012:
agree approach to review of RBMP and monitoring programme in preparation for second RBMP.

Wider planning

Coordinated

The Agencies should work with other public bodies to encourage better co-ordination between the various planning systems (e.g. land-use, sustainable development and community planning) as part of the development of the RBMP and future revisions.

By December 2008:
arrangements in place to inform development of first draft RBMP.

Monitoring programme

Coordinated

The Agencies must agree and coordinate procedure for maintenance of monitoring network.

By September 2007:

procedures in place to meet ongoing requirement.

Integrated

The Agencies must present joined up monitoring networks for Solway Tweed RBD.

By September 2007:

publish network on web-site for Solway Tweed RBD.

Coordinated

The Agencies must agree the methodology to review the monitoring network for second river basin planning cycle.

By March 2012:

agree approach to review of RBMP and monitoring programme.

River Basin Characterisation Report ( RBC)

Coordinated

(second cycle and beyond)

The Agencies should:

• have an agreed common methodology for characterisation in second river basin planning cycle.

• have improved coordination of data systems for assessing the state of the environment, pressures and risks to water bodies reporting and economic analysis of water use.

This will recognise and take account of differences in supporting information and systems in Agencies.

By December 2009:

systems in place to support review of characterisation for second river basin planning cycle.

Data management and reporting

Coordinated (data collection and approaches)

Integrated

(reporting)

The Agencies should move towards co-ordinated presentation and management of information related to the Solway Tweed RBD. This includes development and maintenance of single data repository for critical elements, including but not limited to:

• water bodies;
• risk to water bodies;
• monitoring network and summary of monitoring programme;
• summary of classification of each water body;
• summary of objectives for each water body;
• summary of Programme of Measures.

Where appropriate, this information should be available to stakeholders.

By June 2008:

data repository will include information and maps for inclusion in the RBMP.

By December 2009:

data repository will include information and maps for inclusion in final RBMP.

By March 2010:

reporting of data into WISE for Secretary of State approval to submit to European Commission.