Guidance and advice notes
Guidance for planning authorities and SEPA
Flood risk and development management
Guidance
- Flood risk and land use vulnerability
- Using SEPA's flood maps to ensure new development avoids areas at flood risk
Position statements
- Development protected by formal flood protection schemes
- Elevated buildings in areas of flood risk
- The Flood Estimation Handbook (FEH) Statistical Method update 2025
Advice, notes and checklists
- Approach to National Planning Framework 4 Policy 22 exceptions
- Climate change allowances for flood risk assessment in land use planning
- Explanatory note on the difference between our planning guidance and future flood maps
- Flood Risk Assessment Checklist
- Flood Risk Standing Advice for lower risk applications
General advice and guidance on flood risk – Development Management
- Climate change allowances for flood risk assessment in land use planning
- Explanatory note on the difference between our planning guidance and future flood maps
- Flood Risk Assessment Checklist - A checklist to help consultants ensure that all the necessary information is submitted to us
- Flood Risk and Land Use Vulnerability Guidance - A framework to assist the assessment of the vulnerability of different types of land use to the impact of flooding
- Guidance on how our flood maps can be used to ensure new development avoids areas at flood risk
- Position Statement on Development Protected by Formal Flood Protection Schemes - An overview of our position on development protected by flood protection schemes
- Position Statement on the Flood Estimation Handbook (FEH) Statistical Method Update 2025
- Statement on SEPA approach to National Planning Framework 4 Policy 22 exceptions
- SEPA Flood Risk Standing Advice for Planning Authorities and Developers for lower risk applications
- SEPA Position Statement on elevated buildings in areas of flood risk
Local Development Plan Guidance
We have a duty to cooperate with planning authorities in the preparation of Local Development Plans. To support this role we have published the following guidance and advice.
- Evidence Sources Glossary - A glossary of relevant evidence sources for local development plans presented by issue
- Evidence sources by NPF4 policy topics - A summary of relevant evidence sources for local developments plans presented by NPF4 policy
- Guidance for Planning Authorities on undertaking a Strategic Flood Risk Assessment to support their Local Development Plan
- Key Agency Group Site Appraisal Guidance Advice for planning authorities on SEPA engagement in site appraisal and assessment
- Local Development Plans Evidence Gathering Resource Pack for Planning Authorities Part One: Overview Document
- SEPA Planning Advice Note for Planning Authorities - LDP Evidence Gathering: Achieving sufficiency of evidence relating to flood risk and the water environment
- SEPA Planning Advice Note for Planning Authorities - LPD Evidence Gathering: Water Scarcity
- SEPA Planning Advice Note for Planning Authorities - SEPA engagement in LDP site appraisal and assessment
Other Development Management guidance and advice updated since the publication of NPF4
- Assessing Risks to Water Environment Associated with Burial Grounds - guidance intended for developers and local authorities developing or extending existing burial grounds in terms of protection of the water environment.
- Co-location Standing Advice for Planning Authorities - standing advice for development proposals, at both the development management and development plan stage, in the vicinity of SEPA authorised sites.
- Forestry and Woodland Strategies Standing Advice for Planning Authorities.
- Guidance on Assessing the Impacts of Development on Groundwater Abstractions - guidance which sets out SEPA’s expectations for the assessment of impact of developments on groundwater abstractions, both public and private water supplies. It is intended for developers, local authorities, and determining authorities.
- Guidance on Assessing the Impacts of Developments on Groundwater Dependent Terrestrial Ecosystems - guidance which sets out SEPA’s expectations for the assessment of impact of developments on Groundwater Dependent Terrestrial Ecosystems (GWDTE). It is intended for developers, local authorities, and determining authorities.
- SEPA Planning Advice Note: Assessing the impact of developments on peatland and carbon rich soils - assessing the impact of developments on peatland and carbon rich soils – guidance which sets out SEPA’s approach to assessing the impact of development on peatlands and carbon rich soils. It is intended for developers, local authorities and determining authorities.
- SEPA Standing Advice for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Marine Directorate on marine consultations - standing advice provided to apply to all marine development proposals except a development proposal of potentially significant impact on aspects of the environment directly regulated by SEPA which is not dealt with adequately by our standing advice or is novel or unusual in which case please consult us specifying exactly the aspect of the environment regulated by SEPA on which advice is sought.
- SEPA Standing Advice on peaty soil - standing advice that applies to development on sites where the peat survey has identified that most of the soil is peaty/organo mineral soil and there are only small quantities of peat or no peat is present.
Other useful information
Summary note: SEPA input to Scottish Government Short Life Working Group on National Planning Framework 4 Policy 22: Flood Risk and Water Management.
Contact us
If you have any questions or require any further information or advice on any aspect of planning, please contact us.