Title, commencement and extent

1. —(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (Northumbria River Basin District) Regulations 2003 and shall come into force on 2nd January 2004.

(2) Regulation 6 has the same extent as Part 1 of the Scottish Act (protection of the water environment) and the other provisions of these Regulations extend to Great Britain and the adjacent territorial sea.

Interpretation

2. In these Regulations—

[^F1 “the Agency” means the Environment Agency; ^F1]

[^F2 “the Directive” means Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy ( 4 ) ; ^F2]

[^F1 “the EQS Directive” means Directive 2008/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on environmental quality standards in the field of water policy ( 5 ) ; ^F1]

[^F1 “the Groundwater Directive” means Directive 2006/118/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of groundwater against pollution and deterioration; ^F1]

“the principal Regulations” means [^F3 the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017 ^F3] ;

“the Northumbria River Basin District” means the area identified by regulation 3(1);

“relevant functions” means—

“the Scottish Act” means the Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003 ( 4 ); and

“the Scottish Ministers” has the meaning given by section 127 of the Scotland Act 1998 ( 5 ).

River basin districts

[^F5 3. —(1) The area shown on the official map is identified as a river basin district for the purposes of these Regulations and shall be known as the Northumbria River Basin District.

(2) The Agency must ensure that the official map is published on its website and made available to the public at its principal office.

(3) The Scottish Environment Protection Agency must ensure that the official map is published on its website and made available to the public at its principal office.

(4) In this regulation—

(a) “the official map” means the map of the Northumbria River Basin District produced by the Agency;

(b) “river basin district” means a district which is the main unit for the management of river basins for the purposes of the Directive, being made up of neighbouring river basins together with associated groundwater, transitional waters and coastal water. ^F5]

The general duties

4. —(1) The Secretary of State, the Scottish Ministers, the Agency and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency must exercise their relevant functions so as to secure—

(a) that the requirements of the Directive[^F6 and of the EQS Directive for the achievement of the ^F6] environmental objectives, and in particular the programme of measures, are co-ordinated for the whole of the Northumbria River Basin District; and

(b) compliance in relation to that district with the other requirements of the Directive[^F7 , the EQS Directive and the Groundwater Directive ^F7] .

[^F8 (2) In this regulation—

(a) “ environmental objectives ” means the objectives set under regulation 12, in accordance with regulation 13, of the principal Regulations (as applied by regulation 5 of these Regulations);

(b) “ programme of measures ” means the programme of measures established under regulation 12, in accordance with regulation 20, of the principal Regulations (as applied by regulation 5 of these Regulations);

(c) references to the Directive, the EQS Directive and the Groundwater Directive are to be read in accordance with Schedule 5 (modification of directives) to the principal Regulations. ^F8]

Application of provisions of the principal Regulations to the Northumbria River Basin District

5. [^F9—(1) Subject to the modifications in paragraphs (2) to (5), the provisions of the principal Regulations ( 7 ) set out in paragraph (1A) apply to the Northumbria River Basin District as they apply to river basin districts identified by regulation 4(1) of the principal Regulations.

(1A) The provisions of the principal Regulations referred to in paragraph (1) are—

(a) [^F10 regulations 2, 5 to 22, 24 to 36, 38 and [^F11 Schedules 1, 3 and 5 ^F11,F10]] , in relation to the whole of the Northumbria River Basin District;

^F12 (b) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(2) Regulation 2 (interpretation) shall have effect as if—

(a) in paragraph (1), the definitions of “the appropriate authority”, “the appropriate agency” and “the NRBW” were omitted; and

(b) [^F13 paragraph (2) ^F13] were omitted.

(2A) The principal Regulations shall have effect as if, for each reference to “the appropriate agency”, there were substituted a reference to “the Agency”.

(2B) The principal Regulations shall have effect as if, for each reference to “the appropriate authority”, there were substituted a reference to “the Secretary of State”.

(2C) [^F14 Regulation 9 ^F14] (designation of shellfish waters) shall have effect as if [^F15 paragraph (8) ^F15] were omitted. ^F9]

(3)[^F16 Regulation 29 ^F16] (river basin management plans: public participation) shall have effect as if—

(a) after paragraph (2)(a) there were inserted—

“ (aa) send copies of the statement, summary or draft plan to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency which shall make them accessible to the public free of charge through its website, at its principal office ^F17 ...; ” ;

(b) after paragraph (3)(a) “and” were omitted and there were inserted—

“ (aa) in the Edinburgh Gazette; and ” ;

(c) in paragraph (4)—

(i) for sub-paragraph (a) there were substituted—

“ (a) the Secretary of State and the Scottish Ministers;

(aa) the Scottish Environment Protection Agency;

(aaa) every responsible authority which has functions exercisable in or in relation to any part of the river basin district; ” ;

(ii) for sub-paragraph (e) there were substituted—

“ (e) every local planning authority in England any part of whose area is within the river basin district; ” ;

(iii) after sub-paragraph (f) there were inserted—

“ (ff) the River Tweed [^F18 Commission ^F18] ; ” ; and

[^F19 (iv) after sub-paragraph (j) there were inserted—

“ (ja) Scottish Water; ” ^F19]

(d) for paragraph (5) there were substituted—

“ (5) In this regulation—

(a) “appropriate nature conservation bodies” means the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, [^F20 Natural England ^F20] and Scottish Natural Heritage;

(b) “harbour” and “harbour authority” have the meanings given by section 57 of the Harbours Act 1964 ( 6 ) ;

[^F21 (c) “the River Tweed Commission” means the body constituted in accordance with article 5 of the Scotland Act 1998 (River Tweed) Order 2006 ( 8 ) ; ^F21]

(d) “local authority” means, in relation to England, the council of any county, county borough or district and, in relation to Scotland, any council constituted under section 2 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 ( 8 ) ;

(e) “local fisheries committee” and “sea fisheries district” mean a local fisheries committee constituted, and a sea fisheries committee created, by an order under section 1 of the Sea Fisheries Regulation Act 1966 ( 9 ) ;

(f) “local planning authority” has the meaning given by section 1 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 ( 10 ) ;

(g) “navigation authority” has the meaning given by section 221(1) of the Water Resources Act 1991 ( 11 ) ;

[^F22 (h) “the relevant date”, in relation to a plan, means—

(i) if a period of time has been directed under regulation 27(1)(a) , the date on which that period begins, or

(ii) otherwise, the date by which the Secretary of State is next required under regulation 31(5) to publish an updated plan; ^F22]

(i) “responsible authority” has the meaning given by section 2(8) of the Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003; and

(j) “the Scottish Ministers” has the meaning given by section 127 of the Scotland Act 1998. ” .

(4)[^F23 Regulation 30 ^F23] (river basin management plans: submission for approval) shall have effect as if after paragraph (1)(a) there were inserted—

“ (aa) send a copy of the plan to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency which shall make it accessible to the public free of charge through its website, at its principal office ^F24 ...; ” .

(5) [^F25 Regulation 31 ^F25] (river basin management plans: approval) shall have effect as if after sub- [^F26 paragraph 4(a) ^F26] “and” were omitted and there were inserted—

“ (aa) send a copy of the approved plan to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency which shall make it accessible to the public free of charge through its website, at its principal office ^F27 ...; and ” .

[^F28 (6) [^F29 Regulation 33 ^F29] (duty to have regard to plans) shall have effect as if “the Welsh Ministers,” and “, [^F30 NRW ^F30] ” were omitted. ^F28]

[^F31 (7) Schedule 5 (modification of directives) has effect as if, in each of paragraphs 2(a), 18(a) and 26(a), for “England or Wales” there were substituted “ the Northumbria River Basin District ” . ^F31]

Application of Part 1 of the Scottish Act to the Northumbria River Basin District

6. —(1) Part 1 of the Scottish Act shall apply in relation to so much of the Northumbria River Basin District as lies within Scotland, subject to the following modifications.

(2) Sections 4 to 15, 17 and 19 (river basin management planning) shall not apply.

(3) Section 16 (duty to have regard to river basin management plans and sub-basin plans) shall have effect as if—

(a) references to a river basin district included references to the Northumbria River Basin District; and

(b) in relation to that district—

(i) in paragraph (a), the reference to the river basin management plan were a reference to the river basin management plan for that district as approved under [^F32 regulation 31 ^F32] of the principal Regulations and any supplementary plan prepared under [^F33 regulation 32 ^F33] of the principal Regulations; and

(ii) paragraphs (b) and (c) were omitted.

(4) Section 18 shall apply as if—

(a) in subsection (1), the reference to “SEPA’s functions under this Chapter”; and

(b) in subsection (2), the reference to “any of its functions under this Chapter”,

were a reference to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s relevant functions and its duty under regulation 4.

(5) Sections 20(2)(b) (regulation of controlled activities) and 22(1) (remedial and restoration measures) and paragraph 2(2) of Schedule 2 (regulators to exercise functions with a view to achieving environmental objectives set out in river basin management plans) shall have effect as if references to environmental objectives set out in river basin management plans included references to environmental objectives set out in any river basin management plan for the Northumbria River Basin District approved under [^F34 regulation 31 ^F34] of the principal Regulations.

^F35 (6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(7) Section 27 shall have effect as if the reference to Part 1 (protection of the water environment) included a reference to that Part as applied by these Regulations.