Land use planning is carried at national, regional and local levels in the UK and the related infrastructure development and redevelopment (including sewerage) is guided by planning proposals.
The reorganisation of land use planning (development and redevelopment) in England and Wales has recently been carried out and a new streamlined process introduced.
A "development plan" provides the essential framework for all land use planning decisions and consists of:
- Regional spatial strategies (RSS) prepared by the regional planning bodies; and
- Local development plan documents (the local development framework (LDF).
The RSS should provide a broad development strategy for the region for a fifteen to twenty year period. The following matters are relevant to Sewerage Risk Management and should be taken into account:
- Identification of the scale and distribution of provision for new housing and other developments;
- Priorities for the environment, such as countryside and biodiversity protection; and
- Transport, infrastructure (including water supply, major/minor drainage systems including sewers etc.), economic development, agriculture, and waste treatment and disposal.
The RSS vision might, however, need to look beyond the end of this period in certain instances, since some relevant forecasting horizons are longer term, for example, adaptation to climate change.
The local development framework will include development plan documents that are part of the statutory development plan and supplementary planning documents which expand policies set out in a development plan document or provide additional detail.
The local development framework should contain within its documents, an integrated set of policies which are based on a clear understanding of the economic, social and environmental needs of the area and any constraints on meeting those needs. The strategy and the policies in local development documents should relate to the geography of the area and be founded on its physical and demographic characteristics, internal and external links and relationships with neighboring areas.
Guidance on implementing planning policy is issued by the Government and information on issues concerning flooding which are particularly relevant to sewers systems can be found at:
It is important that sewerage utilities are aware of, and involved in, the land use planning process.
Updated: 4/12/2012