Review of flooding areas
AS farmers across Scotland count the cost of flood damage, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) are consulting on a review of Potentially Vulnerable Areas (PVAs) to protect communities from future impacts of flooding.
PVAs are areas where significant flood risk exists now or is likely to occur in the future and are used to identify locations where a partnership approach may be required to resolve widespread and often complex flooding issues.
This winter, SEPA issued a record number of regional Flood Alerts and local Flood Warnings to the public. A total of 720 messages were sent between September 1, 2023 and February 16, 2024. The previous record of 714 was set over autumn and winter 2015/16.
Flood risk planning manager at SEPA, Siobhan McNulty, said: “Scotland is witnessing an increasing number of extreme weather events and flooding presents a growing threat to our communities.
“It is vital we work together with partners and communities to identify the areas most at risk so we can work together to increase Scotland’s resilience to flooding. PVAs are the first step in this process.” While the designation of PVAs is a
science and evidence-led process, feedback from public partners and local communities is key to making sure all relevant impacts are taken into consideration. Ms McNulty continued: “Whether you have previously been affected by flooding or have concerns about potential future impacts for your home, business or community,
we want to hear from you. “Your views on the proposed PVAs will inform essential future flood risk management work so we can improve flooding resilience together and best prepare for a changing climate.”
You can respond to the consultation on PVAs via Citizen Space until June 24, 2024.