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Industry views on water resources planning methods – prospects for change in E ngland and W ales
Author(s) -
Turner Sean W. D.,
Jeffrey Paul J.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
water and environment journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1747-6593
pISSN - 1747-6585
DOI - 10.1111/wej.12102
Subject(s) - warrant , transparency (behavior) , psychological resilience , environmental planning , process (computing) , management science , resilience (materials science) , process management , business , environmental resource management , risk analysis (engineering) , public relations , psychology , computer science , political science , engineering , economics , social psychology , geography , law , physics , finance , thermodynamics , operating system
This paper describes a qualitative study of practitioner perspectives on regulated water resources planning practice in E ngland and W ales. The study focuses on strengths and weaknesses of existing practice and the case for change towards a risk‐based approach informed by stochastic modelling assessments. In‐depth, structured interviews were conducted to capture the views of planners, regulators and consultants closely involved in the planning process. We found broad agreement that the existing water availability assessment methods are fallible; they lack transparency, are often highly subjective and may fail to adequately expose problems of resilience. While most practitioners believe these issues warrant a more detailed examination of risk in the planning process, few believe there is a strong case for a fundamental shift towards risk‐based planning informed by stochastic modelling assessments. The study identifies perceived business risks associated with change and exposes widespread scepticism of stochastic methods.