Browse by author
Lookup NU author(s): Professor Hayley Fowler, Dr Elizabeth Lewis
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2025 The Author(s). Journal of Flood Risk Management published by Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Flood risk assessments (FRAs) are essential tools in Scottish planning policy to identify and minimise flood risk in new planning applications. Most FRAs in Scotland are performed in (very) small (< 50km2) < 100km2 catchments, particularly vulnerable to increases in rainfall intensity due to climate change. This study provides a historical overview of the literature used as guidance in FRAs in Scotland and then focuses on their application in smaller catchments, addressing three areas: understanding the different physical processes in smaller catchments, their representation within the guidelines and how these guidelines are applied in practice. Our results highlight the need to move beyond simple mathematical and hydrological methods for FRAs. We find that small catchments' physical processes are not adequately represented in current methods, leading to higher biases and uncertainties in modelling. When applied in practice, these techniques are often used unconventionally for the fulfilment of established guidelines. Finally, climate change science implementation into guidance also needs refinement, with current regulations lacking a sound scientific basis, particularly for smaller catchments. We underscore the need for testing and application of innovative solutions found in academia and utilisation of additional data to provide improved methods for FRAs in smaller catchments, particularly under climate change.
Author(s): Fileni F, Fowler HJ, Lewis E, McLay F, Bruce E, Becker M
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Journal of Flood Risk Management
Year: 2025
Volume: 18
Issue: 1
Online publication date: 26/03/2025
Acceptance date: 09/12/2024
Date deposited: 09/04/2025
ISSN (electronic): 1753-318X
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Ltd
URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.70035
DOI: 10.1111/jfr3.70035
Data Access Statement: The authors have nothing to report.
Altmetrics provided by Altmetric
