A prerequisite to the implementation of the requirements of Directive, was its introduction into Northern Ireland law. After a public consultation on the proposed legislation, in November 2009, it was formally introduced as The Water Environment (Floods Directive) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009.
Following the introduction of the Directive into NI law, the Directive required 3 distinct preparatory stages:-
1. Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment
Article 4 of the Directive required that each EU Member State undertook a Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment (PFRA) for their respective territories by 22 December 2011. The PFRA for Northern Ireland (NI) can be accessed via this link:-
2. Flood Hazard and Risk Mapping
Article 6 of the Directive required that each Member State should prepare Flood Hazard and Flood Risk Maps for significant flood risk areas by December 2013. These have been prepared for NI and can be accessed via this link:-
3. Flood Risk Management Planning
Article 7 of the Directive required each member state to prepare Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMPs) by December 2015. The Flood Risk Management Plans highlight the flood hazards and risks in the most Significant Flood Risk Areas in NI from flooding from rivers, the sea, surface water and reservoirs. They identify the Objectives and Measures that will be undertaken to address flooding and they set out how the relevant authorities will work together with communities to reduce the flood risks. The FRMPs for NI can be accessed via this link:-
Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive (EU legislation)
The Floods Directive legislation was subject to a Strategic Environmental Assessment. This means that we undertook appropriate environmental considerations in the Flood Risk Management Planning process. A link to the SEA can be accessed via this link:-