Planning Advice Note 79: water and drainage

INTRODUCTION

1. The adequate provision of water and waste water infrastructure is essential for communities, businesses and the environment. Infrastructure provision must meet existing demands, be of a high enough standard to ensure that the supply of water and discharge of waste water comply with water quality regulations, sufficient to allow proposed development to proceed without unreasonable delay, and should not increase the risk of flooding. The arrangements proposed for water supply and drainage can be a material planning consideration.

2. Scottish Planning Policy 1 The Planning System ( SPP1) identifies the role of the planning system as being to guide the future development and use of land in the long-term public interest. The aim is to ensure that development occurs in suitable locations and is sustainable. In providing this direction the planning system needs to consider issues such as the provision of essential infrastructure and the removal of any potential constraints. Effective planning thus requires participation by all stakeholders to enable appropriate development to proceed.

3. The purpose of this Planning Advice Note ( PAN) is to provide advice on good practice in relation to the provision of water and drainage in a planning context. It encourages joint working in order to ensure a common understanding of any capacity constraints and agreement on the means of their removal. The PAN explains the framework within which Scottish Water provides and contributes to new water infrastructure and contains advice on the appropriateness of private schemes. It clarifies the role of the planning authority in setting the direction of development to inform the planning and delivery of new infrastructure in a coordinated way. It also highlights the respective roles of Scottish Water and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency ( SEPA), indicating when and how they should interact with the planning system.