Renfrewshire councillors have backed the council’s response to a national SEPA consultation on the future of Scotland’s water environment.
The Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board agreed on Wednesday 18th March to support the response already submitted by officers and noted that a further report will come back later this year when a draft of the next River Basin Management Plan is published.
The consultation is part of work on the fourth River Basin Management Plan, known as RBMP4, which will guide action on water quality, habitats and sustainable water use.
A report before councillors said Scotland’s water environment faces increasing pressure from climate change, pollution, habitat changes and chemical risks, with consequences for biodiversity, public wellbeing and long-term resilience.
The council’s response supported SEPA’s broad approach, but also argued that more attention should be given to invasive non-native species as part of work on the physical condition of rivers.
In its submission, the council said invasive species can contribute to riverbank erosion, the loss of native species and increased flooding along waterways.
During the meeting, councillors used the item to raise wider local concerns about invasive plants including Japanese knotweed and Himalayan balsam, and about how different council services work together where development or land management could affect rivers and burns.
Officers said teams already worked closely together, including through the Restoring Renfrewshire’s Rivers project and through planning and housing regeneration processes where relevant.
There was also discussion about the difficulty residents can face when invasive plants spread across private gardens and land, with questions raised over responsibility for enforcement and who ultimately takes action.
Officers said the current paper was only the first stage of the consultation process and that a more detailed opportunity to influence future policy would come later in the year when the draft plan is published.
Councillors also heard that Renfrewshire is already involved in practical river-related work, including invasive species control, volunteer clean-ups, peatland restoration and contaminated land assessment where there could be a risk to watercourses.
The board agreed the report without opposition.
