1. Introduction
This section describes the constituent parts of the programmes of measures.
This document summarises the current and planned programmes of measures to control the main challenges faced by the water environment and achieve the environmental objectives for water bodies and protected areas in the river basin management plans.
All sectors of society have a role in implementing the programmes of measures. The programmes of measures therefore describe measures to be delivered by all partners including government, its agencies, local authorities, water companies, land managers, other businesses, and third sector organisations.
Programmes of measures include the on-the-ground actions (for example, improving a sewage treatment works) and the mechanisms (tools and approaches) to ensure the actions are delivered (for example, environmental permit conditions regulating the discharge of sewage effluent and the associated water industry price review process to fund the improvements). They include exercising statutory powers set out in legislation to deliver actions on the ground.
The summary programmes of measures in the plans focus on the main mechanisms, programmes, and strategic initiatives to protect and improve the water environment in each river basin district. These mechanisms include ‘basic’ measures (for example, action required by legislation) and ‘supplementary’ measures which can be regulatory or voluntary initiatives such as codes of practice.
The summary programmes of measures also describe the main types of on-the-ground action that are delivered through these various mechanisms, and signposts to where more detail for specific, local measures and actions can be found. Where this detail is yet to be developed, it indicates when and how the implementation of the measures will happen, and how organisations and people can help.
Where flexibility exists, when implementing the programmes of measures and when choosing specific actions, the principles detailed in the Implementing the river basin management plans document should be followed. This will ensure that the maximum benefit to society and the environment is achieved.
Section 9 details potential additional measures to increase the confidence that the objectives can be achieved.
The measures to achieve the environmental objectives for water bodies and protected areas in the river basin management plans are summarised in several ways, reflecting their relevance to specific objectives, sectors, or river basin districts, as described below. This will allow the reader to access the summary programmes of measures for their river basin district from different perspectives.
The summary programmes of measures for each river basin district consists of:
- a summary of the measures to meet each of the main environmental objectives in the river basin management plans (section 3)
- a summary of the measures for each sector (section 4)
- a summary of the main measures to deliver expectations for river basin management planning as set out in Ministerial guidance (section 5)
- details of the main mechanisms used to tackle significant water management issues (section 6)
- a summary of the measures currently planned for each river basin district (section 7)
- examples of catchment partnership measures (section 8)
Please note that individual measures may be included in more than one of the summaries listed above. For example, the same measure may be included in the summary of measures to achieve a particular environmental objective, the summary of measures for a sector and planned measures for one or more river basin districts.
It should also be noted that this is a summary of the programmes of measures. Not every individual measure will be included. This section sign-posts to where more detailed information can be found.
The ‘River basin planning programmes of measures case studies’ document gives more local content to help illustrate the summary programmes of measures.