Policy EM 5
Integrated Water Management
In achieving integrated water management and delivery of the EU Water Framework Directive, plans and strategies should have regard to River Basin Management Plans, Water Company Asset Management Plans, Catchment Flood Management Plans, and the Regional Flood Risk Appraisal. Local planning authorities and developers should protect the quantity and quality of surface, ground and coastal waters, and manage flood risk, by: working with the Water Companies and the Environment Agency when planning the location and phasing of development. Development should be located where there is spare capacity in the existing water supply and waste water treatment, sewer and strategic surface water mains capacity, insofar as this would be consistent with other planning objectives. Where this is not possible development must be phased so that new infrastructure capacity can be provided without environmental harm;
producing sub-regional or district level strategic flood risk assessments, guided by the Regional Flood Risk Appraisal. Allocations of land for development should comply with the sequential test in PPS25. Departures from this should only be proposed in exceptional cases where suitable land at lower risk of flooding is not available and the benefits of development outweigh the risks from flooding;
designing appropriate mitigation measures into the scheme, for any development which, exceptionally, must take place in current or future flood risk areas, to ensure it is protected to appropriate standards, provides suitable emergency access under flood conditions, and does not increase the risk of flooding elsewhere;
requiring new development, including residential, commercial and transport
development, to incorporate sustainable drainage systems and water conservation and efficiency measures to the highest contemporary standard;
encouraging retrofitting of sustainable drainage systems and water efficiency within existing developments;
raising people’s awareness of flood risks (particularly for vulnerable groups) and the impacts of their behaviours and lifestyles on water consumption.
9.11 In its bid to achieve integrated water management, growth and development, the North West must respect the capacity of the water and wetland environments to cope with changes in land use, particularly as it can take between 5 and 25 years to plan and develop new water resource and waste water disposal schemes, and avoid adverse impacts on sites of international importance for nature conservation. Consideration of the effects of development on sites of international importance for nature conservation should also include, where relevant, those sites located outside of the Region, in particular the impact of development on coastal and inland waters in Wales.
9.12 Climate change creates an additional, major challenge to the bid to achieve integrated water management (96)
. It is expected that excesses of water in winter, shortages in summer and increasingly intense rainfall will occur, which will affect the assessment and management of future risks associated with water resources, water quality and flooding. This will affect the additional issues of urban and rural diffuse pollution – that is, pollution arising from a number
of dispersed sources – and the region’s ageing water supply and disposal infrastructure, that are of particular concern in the North West. It should be recognised that more subtle effects caused by climate change, such as changes in water table levels are important and need to be considered.
9.13 There is an imperative need to manage the demand for water in the region and address the detrimental effect of urban and agricultural run off on water quality. The region’s current and future flood risks must also be managed in a sustainable way to avoid potential damage to property and even loss of life.
9.14 Sustainable Drainage Systems, including multi-benefit water treatment solutions such as artificial wetlands, represent one key mechanism for addressing these issues as they reduce the rate, quantity and improve the quality of surface water run off during rainfall events, minimising flooding and environmental damage as a result of uncontrolled surface run-off. Further guidance is provided in the North West Best Practice Design Guide.
Policy EM 6
Managing the North West’s Coastline
Plans, strategies, proposals and schemes (including Shoreline Management Plans) should take a strategic and integrated approach to the long term management of flood and coastal erosion risk by:
taking account of natural coastal change and the likely impacts of climate change, to ensure that development is sited or re-sited carefully to avoid:
the risk of future loss from coastal erosion, land instability and flooding; unsustainable coastal defence costs;
damaging existing defences and the capacity of the coast to form natural defences or to adjust to future changes without endangering life or property;
making provision for mitigation of and adaptation to natural coastal change and the predicted effects of climate change over the medium to long-term (100 years) and supporting a ‘whole shoreline approach’(97)
being taken to coastal risk management; minimizing the loss of coastal habitats and avoiding damage to coastal processes; and avoiding adverse impacts now and in the future on coastal sites of international nature conservation importance;
promoting managed realignment as a tool for managing flood and coastal erosion risk and delivering biodiversity targets and compensatory habitat requirements under the Habitats Directive.
9.15 This policy should be read in conjunction with Policy RDF3 which provides further guidance on sustainable development and use of the coast and EM3 and EM4.
9.16 The majority of the region’s coastal zone is low lying (below the 10m contour), comprised of soft sediments and therefore vulnerable to coastal erosion and flooding. Historically development, construction of coastal defences and other development such as ports on the
97 Making space for water. Taking forward a new Government strategy for flood and coastal erosion risk management in England.” First government response to the autumn 2004. Making space for water consultation exercise. March 2005.
estuaries and open coast have resulted in significant impacts on the extent and distribution of coastal habitats and disruption of coastal processes. Rises in sea level and extreme weather conditions like sudden, heavy storms, which can cause storm surges and which are becoming more frequent due to climate change have major implications for the North West Coast and on the way in which it is planned and managed.
9.17 The government is committed to a more holistic approach(98)
to secure sustainable and cost effective management of flood and coastal erosion, whilst at the same time securing a greater overall contribution to sustainable development. Shoreline Management Plans and Catchment Flood Management Plans will provide a strategic approach to the assessment of options within a broader planning matrix (99)
which will include River Basin Management Plans and Integrated Coastal Zone Management strategies. These should ensure that more flood and coastal erosion solutions work with natural processes and natural coastal defence features such as sand dunes and salt marshes. Changes to Shoreline Management Planning policy(100)
, reflecting the need to adapt to the likely effects of climate change, such as flooding and coastal erosion, will require the careful siting of new economic assets and infrastructure, including new port development, so as to avoid any risk of future loss or of excessive coastal defence costs. They will also create opportunities for managed realignment and the associated identification and creation of new wildlife habitats.
98 Paper FMS/SF 08: Management of Flood Risk and Coastal Erosion, Development of Revised Vision, Aims and Objectives, DEFRA, 2003.
99 Where issues \ scope of strategies cross national and regional boundaries, it will be necessary to involve government agencies, local authorities and other stakeholders in Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
100 The development of the 2nd generation of Shoreline Management Plans started in 2007, with target completion by March, 2010. These will develop a 100-year forward look at natural changes to the coast and the likely effects of climate change. They will identify shoreline management policies for the coast over 0-20, 20-50 and 50-100 year periods. The plans should provide clear guidance to promote and ensure sustainable planning and management of the shoreline and coast.