National Flood Resilience Strategy: Implementation Plan

Ministerial Foreword

The science is clear: climate change means we are facing weather extremes that include increased risks of heavy rainfall, more intense storm events and flooding.

Flooding is Scotland’s biggest adaptation challenge, affecting families, businesses and communities across the country. For those who have experienced flooding firsthand, the impact can endure long after flood waters have receded.

That is why working together to increase Scotland’s resilience has never been more important. The Scottish Government published Scotland's first National Flood Resilience Strategy 2024-2045 to set a long-term direction for how we respond together to that challenge. The Strategy recognised that while traditional flood management measures remain important, building resilience requires a broader approach. It means considering how we design our places, manage our land and water, invest in infrastructure, and support people and communities to adapt to a changing climate. It challenges us to think differently about how we prepare for, respond to and live with flood risk.

Significant progress has been made since the publication of the Strategy. This Implementation Plan marks the next stage of that work, translating the ambitions of the Flood Resilience Strategy into a programme of practical actions that will be delivered by national and local government, public bodies, delivery partners and communities over the coming years. Together, these actions will strengthen Scotland's ability to anticipate, withstand and recover from flooding while supporting a longer-term transition to a more flood resilient Scotland.

The actions set out within this Plan have been developed collaboratively with input from the Flood Resilience Strategy Implementation Group. The Group brings together representatives from across national and local government, public bodies, infrastructure operators, environmental organisations and community-focused stakeholders.

Communities are at the centre of flood resilience. People need access to reliable information, practical support and meaningful opportunities to make their communities more resilient to flooding. This Plan includes actions to improve awareness, strengthen community resilience, support recovery from flooding, and ensure that those most vulnerable to the impact of flooding receive the support they need.

This plan also includes a range of actions supported by our new £15 million flood resilience fund launched this summer, and reiterated in our Programme for Government in September, to help communities across Scotland that are most at risk from flooding. Funding will be available to local groups, communities and local authorities to help them improve their flood resilience and preparedness. It will support sustainable drainage, including natural features like green spaces and planting, to help future proof existing flooding infrastructure and reduce flood risk. Coastal communities will benefit, with support available for innovative coastal resilience projects to replenish sand dunes and reduce flood risk in towns such as Montrose.

Additional support will also be available for communities recovering from the impact of recent flooding, while Public Health Scotland will develop a new interactive tool combining flood risk data with population and demographic data to help identify communities and groups that may be most vulnerable to future flooding – helping us target support where it is most needed.

This is all alongside our further Programme for Government commitment to invest an additional £14 million in a Coastal Change Adaptation fund by the end of the Parliament to support local authorities plan for and respond to the impacts of coastal change and rising sea levels.

There are good reasons to be optimistic. Across Scotland, communities, local authorities, public bodies and delivery partners are already taking action to improve flood resilience. Better data is being collected, new partnerships have been established and innovative approaches are being tested.

No single organisation can deliver the changes required on its own. Success will depend on continued collaboration between government, local authorities, public bodies, businesses, infrastructure operators, land managers, voluntary organisations, community groups and individuals. The actions outlined in this Plan reflect that shared responsibility and collective ambition.

By working together, investing wisely and acting now, we can help ensure that Scotland is better prepared for increasing flood risk and that our communities, economy and environment are more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

I would like to thank all those who have contributed to the development of this Implementation Plan, particularly the members of the Flood Resilience Strategy Implementation Group and the many organisations that have committed to delivering the actions it contains. I look forward to continuing to work with partners as we turn these commitments into tangible improvements for the people, places and communities of Scotland.