The designation of Potential Vulnerable Areas (PVAs) is a SEPA science and evidence-led process and feedback from public partners and local communities is key to making sure all relevant impacts are taken into consideration.
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.
They inform Scotland’s Flood Risk Management (FRM) Plans and Local Flood Risk Management Plans and become the focus of FRM actions, helping responsible authorities to prioritise investment and coordinate actions to reduce the impacts of flooding on communities.
Identifying PVAs is an essential part of protecting people, properties, businesses, communities, infrastructure, and our environment, with an estimated 284,000 homes, businesses and services across Scotland currently identified as at risk of flooding.
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 1st September 2023 and 16th February 2024. The previous record of 714 was set over autumn and winter 2015/16.
Since PVAs were first identified in 2011, SEPA have worked together with partners including local authorities and Scottish Water to plan and deliver actions to manage flood risk in the places where it is needed most.
Based on the National Flood Risk Assessment, PVAs are updated and published by SEPA every six years as required by the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009. The designation of PVAs takes into consideration past, current and future flood risk from rivers, the sea and surface water using recorded events, observations and strategic flood modelling.
SEPA are now consulting on proposed updates to PVAs for 2024. The review will focus on smaller, community-based target areas set within wider zones of influence to provide clearer information on how flood risk is tackled in Scotland.
Once the PVAs are formally designated by Scottish Ministers, SEPA will then prepare FRM plans to set objectives and actions for reducing flood risk. The local FRM plans published by each lead local authority will then provide more detail, including timescales and funding.
You can respond to the until 24 June 2024.