A six-month consultation on the timetable and work programme for developing the fourth River Basin Management Plan for Northern Ireland (NI) has been launched.
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) is inviting people to provide feedback on the third cycle plan along with contributing to the development of the fourth cycle plan.
Members of the public and stakeholders in agriculture, industry, Northern Ireland Water and non-governmental organisations are being encouraged to have their say on the planning process.
Improvement targets
The fourth cycle plan will set management and improvement targets for 2028 to 2033 for NI’s water environments including rivers, loughs, coastal waters and groundwater.
DAERA said it will use sector-specific working groups, online events and other collaborative platforms to allow for diverse perspectives from across society to be incorporated into the planning process as it works to identify and tackle the challenges facing waterways.Â
The consultation, being undertaken by DAERA and its agency, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, is now open and will close on January 3, 2026.
River basin management
The Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2017 require the production and implementation of a River Basin Management Plan in six-yearly cycles.
The third cycle plan obtained executive approval and was published on June 13, 2025, covering the period 2021 to 2027.
The fourth cycle plan is required to be published by December 2027.
DAERA said that river basin planning “takes an integrated approach to the protection, improvement and sustainable use of the water environment”.
“A River Basin Management Plan includes the objectives and actions required to protect and improve the water environment and also identifies synergies and opportunities for integrating with other strategies.”
