The Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2003

Environmental objectives and programmes of measures

10.—(1) For the purposes of the river basin management plan for a river basin district which is required by regulation 11, the Agency must by such date as the appropriate authority may direct prepare and submit to the authority proposals for—

(a) environmental objectives for the district; and

(b) a programme of measures to be applied in order to achieve those objectives.

(2) In preparing proposals under paragraph (1), the Agency must—

(a) take account of the characterisation of, and economic analysis of water use in, the relevant river basin district (and any review of the same) carried out under regulations 5 and 6; and

(b) take such steps as it thinks fit, or the appropriate authority may direct, to—

(i) provide opportunities for the general public and those persons likely to be interested in or affected by its proposals to participate in discussion and the exchange of information or views in relation to the preparation of those proposals;

(ii) publicise its draft proposals to those persons; and

(iii) consult those persons in respect of those proposals.

(3) The appropriate authority may, having considered any proposals for environmental objectives or for a programme of measures submitted to it and any representations received by the authority in relation to those proposals—

(a) approve them, or any of them, in the form submitted;

(b) approve them, or any of them, either with modifications or subject to such modifications as the authority may direct the Agency to make; or

(c) reject them, or any of them;

and, in any case falling within sub-paragraph (b) or (c), must state its reasons for doing so.

(4) Where the appropriate authority rejects any proposals, it must direct the Agency to resubmit proposals, by such time, if any, as the direction may specify with—

(a) modifications of such nature as the direction may specify; and

(b) any further modifications which the Agency considers appropriate.

(5) The appropriate authority must ensure that—

(a) for each river basin district a programme of measures is—

(i) established by 22nd December 2009;

(ii) made operational by 22nd December 2012; and

(iii) periodically reviewed and where appropriate updated, initially by 22nd December 2015 and thereafter by each sixth anniversary of that date; and

(b) in relation to a programme of measures that is updated under sub-paragraph (a)(iii), any new or revised measures are made operational within three years of that updating.