Water-resilient places - surface water management and blue-green infrastructure: policy framework

Footnotes

1. Protecting Scotland’s Future - The Government’s Programme for Scotland 2019-20

• p51: "Scottish Water… …will also take action in climate adaptation and pursue further partnerships with local authorities and others to adapt to increased intensity rainfall events by creating natural, blue/green infrastructure to manage surface water away from homes and businesses and help create great places to live."
• p91: "We are also reviewing our approach to Blue-Green cities and will bring forward proposals by the end of this year."

2. The placemaking approach as promoted by Scottish Government and supported across all sectors requires an integrated, collaborative and participative approach to decisions about services, land and buildings and is applicable to a place whether it is existing, changing or in the planning.

3. On 20 January 2020, the Infrastructure Commission for Scotland published its first report Phase 1 Key Findings: A Blueprint for Scotland. The report sets out eight overarching themes and 23 specific recommendations for Scottish Government to consider.

4. This is often referred to as "disconnection" or "retrofitting". Scottish Water’s Surface Water policy states: "For sustainability and to protect our customers from potential future sewer flooding, we will not normally accept any surface water connections into our combined sewer system."

5. The principle was developed by partners in the public and private sectors, the third sector and communities, to help them develop a clear vision for their place.

It promotes a shared understanding of place, and the need to take a more collaborative approach to a place’s services and assets to achieve better outcomes for people and communities. The principle encourages and enables local flexibility to respond to issues and circumstances in different places.

6. National Performance Framework

7. "Towards a Robust, Resilient Wellbeing Economy for Scotland: The Report of the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery" was published on 22 June 2020.

8. According to the second National Flood Risk Assessment carried out by SEPA in 2018 the number of properties exposed to surface water flooding will increase from 210 000 to 270 000 by 2080. (The 2080 figure is the current estimate of the number of properties at risk from the 1:200 year flood plus climate change).

9. Authorities responsible under relevant legislation are principally but not limited to: Scottish Government, SEPA, Scottish Water, local authorities, National Parks.

10. The Scottish Advisory and Implementation Forum for Flooding (SAIFF) in 2018 called for "…a transformation in the way we handle surface water…"

11. Scotland has 14 Flood Risk Management Plans outlining a set of prioritised actions to reduce the impact of floods. They provide detail on the costs, benefits and delivery timetable for actions.

12. Including, flooding, drainage, environmental water quality and the performance of combined sewer overflows (CSO) and their impact on receptors including bathing waters.

13. This draft vision has been shared with the Hydro Nation Forum, SCOTS Flooding group, MGSDP, ELSDP and other key stakeholders for discussion and review. Positive feedback has been received.

14. Scottish Government Water Policies: Hydro Nation strategy

15. The transition to blue-green places will require interventions at all scales.

16. This should include climate mitigation and adaptation.

17. The City of Edinburgh Council Water Management Strategy focuses on integrating design for water and flooding with the urban landscape (blue-green infrastructure). This has been developed in direct response to the climate emergency and aims to inform planning decisions and provide greener and more attractive places for people, improve biodiversity, reduce exposure to floods and improve environmental water quality.

18. Scottish Water’s Surface Water policy states: "For sustainability and to protect our customers from potential future sewer flooding, we will not normally accept any surface water connections into our combined sewer system."

19. Infrastructure Commission for Scotland Key Findings Report

Recommendation 18. Building on the existing plans and the Commission’s recommendation to incorporate natural infrastructure, the Scottish Government should by 2021 consider options for longer term implementation and regulatory coherence across water provision and flood management and resilience.

Infrastructure commission for Scotland - Phase1: Part C.pdf

20. There are currently two such partnerships in place. The Metropolitan Glasgow Strategic Drainage Partnership (established in 2002) and the Edinburgh and Lothians Strategic Partnership (established in 2019).

21. Ill-informed expenditure can inadvertently add to the "total asset" exposed to flooding and drainage issues.