River basin management plans: publication

14.—(1) The Department shall ensure that a river basin management plan is published for the river basin district and the part of each international river basin district falling within Northern Ireland (or, as the case may be, a single plan) by 22nd December 2009.

(2) As soon as a river basin management plan is published, the Department shall –

(a)take such steps as it considers appropriate for the purpose of bringing the plan to the attention of the general public and those persons and bodies likely to be interested in or affected by it and, in particular, shall –

(i)make copies of the plan accessible to the public free of charge at the relevant place and through the Department’s website; and

(ii)publish a notice specifying the arrangements made for making copies of the plan accessible to the public;

(b)publish a statement of the steps taken by the Department to comply with regulation 13(4), so far as they relate to the draft plan; and

(c)publish a summary of the representations referred to in regulations 13(4)(b)(iii) and 13(7) and any changes made to the plan in light of those representations.

(3) A notice required under paragraph (2)(a)(ii) shall be published –

(a)in the Belfast Gazette; and

(b)at least once in each of two successive weeks in one or more newspapers circulating in the river basin district or the part of the international river basin district to which the plan relates.