Hansard

I thank the committee and witnesses for their work in getting us to this debate today.

I want to focus on the processes and principles of adaptation in relation to planning decisions and the importance of flooding as a key test of the adaptation programme. As others have said, we can be in no doubt that our planning system should be able to ensure that decisions are taken that avoid increasing the risk of flooding. That is important in both human and economic terms.

The report highlights that climate change will increase the incidence of flooding and the risk that it entails of injury, impact on people’s mental health and even death. If nothing else, that should prompt us to act.

Over the years, colleagues across the chamber have related the catastrophic impact of flooding on their constituencies. The strategy is an opportunity both to learn from past problems and to set out the solutions that are needed. I believe that the review of Scottish Planning Policy and NPF3 provide us with the opportunity to incorporate flood management techniques routinely in every single planning decision, to contribute to the Scottish Government’s adaptation strategy.

However, adaptation measures in relation to flooding need greater priority and urgency than exist now. Sustainable urban drainage systems are now more than a decade old, so I would be keen to hear from the minister what is being done to evaluate the impact of early schemes and to measure whether the principles are being consistently applied in development proposals. I would also like to know what work is being done with developers to increase their knowledge and share best practice, and to inform householders of their responsibilities and of the practical measures that they can take.

SEPA’s analysis highlights the geographical areas that are vulnerable to flooding, and the role of local authorities in planning investment is crucial, because they are partners in the research that the Scottish Government carries out on best practice, but they also need support to build capacity in areas such as the project management of major flood prevention works. The same issue arises in transport and development projects generally; we need that capacity.

There is also the issue of local authorities’ capacity to implement the sustainable flood management duties that are in the Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003. Again, I would be keen to hear what research the Scottish Government has carried out since the implementation of that act.

One of my first acts as a relatively new MSP—and the Minister for Transport and the Environment—was to deal with constituents and businesses in relation to the impact of flooding on my constituency in 2000. Even then, people were concerned about not just the immediate support that they needed, but looking at longer-term planning for flood investment. The delays associated with the planning and construction of flood management systems would be an excellent case study for students, professionals and, indeed, ourselves of what can go wrong even with the best of intentions.

Although it is no consolation to my constituents, phase 1 has been completed, although it was delayed for the best part of a decade and costs escalated, but we are stuck and unable to get phase 2 going, and phase 3 is not even on the drawing table yet. Therefore, I am grateful for the opportunity to talk to the minister about the financial gap, because we must work our way beyond the practical delays that occur when we have solutions ready, because they are not acceptable in flood risk management.

I started talking about the human dimension that the adaptation report highlights. Before Christmas, I met local community council members, who were exasperated that we—by which I mean politicians across the spectrum—had not collectively fixed that problem for them. When I returned after Christmas, I got incredibly moving correspondence from constituents relaying to me their anxiety about heavy rainfall. That happens every time we have heavy rainfall, and I am sure that I am not alone.

This is not a theoretical problem. It matters to our constituents, our businesses and our habitats. Although we cannot control or fix everything, we have to push climate change adaptation up the political agenda, to ensure that we get the right research, the right lessons learned, the right skills and experience and, crucially, the investment to make it happen. That is why today’s debate is vital and why the final climate adaptation strategy needs to be better. It needs to better reflect the role of local authorities in this agenda and it needs clearer targets, a greater sense of urgency and a greater political commitment from the Scottish Government. I hope that that is what the debate will deliver.

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