The Environment Agency has launched a new consultation on river basin management planning – the EA is seeking feedback on its approach to working together to review and update the river basin management plans in 2027.
The current river basin management plans (RBMPs), which were published in December 2022, establish legally binding, locally specific environmental objectives, forming the basis for water regulation and planning activities. The plans align with key initiatives like the water industry national environment programme (WINEP).
Working Together is the first consultation in the process of reviewing and updating the river basin management plans which sets out the:
- consultation steps
- proposed timetable
- ways to get involved in contributing to the updated plans
The EA wants stakeholder views and help to:
- identify which organisations need to be involved
- understand what other plans and strategies are critical to take into account
- what would help people to engage with the process of updating the plans
The Agency coordinates the work to implement river basin management plans and leads the work to update them at the end of the 6 year planning cycle - the next update is due in 2027.
Introducing the consultation, the EA said:
“We are starting this process knowing that the legislation that sets out how river basin planning and other aspects of the water management in England might change following the conclusion of the independent commission into the water sector. We know that whatever changes happen, we will still want to work closely with water stakeholders to understand the challenges, identify solutions and drive investment in our shared water environment.”
The EA is using the consultation to ask whether it has targeted all the right organisations to work with and identified all the important strategies and mechanisms for delivering its goals, under any planning system.
Key consultation questions include:
- Are there any other plans or strategies relevant to the updating of the river basin management plans not mentioned here or in the current river basin management plans?
- Have we identified all those who need to be involved in updating the river basin management plans?
- What would help you to engage with the process of updating the river basin management plans?
The statutory deadline for publishing the updated plans is 22 December 2027. The review and update of river basin management plans involves three public consultations. These consultations (Working Together, Challenges and Choices, and the draft plans) are published in the 3 years prior to the updated plans being published:
Click here to access the consultation online
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