A project designed to give local organisations and communities more say over their environment, through the management of watercourses, has entered a new phase with the launch of public drop-in sessions throughout October.
The project, which includes locations in Suffolk and Norfolk as well as four other pilot areas across the country, is exploring the potential to re-designate several sections of selected ‘Main Rivers’ as ‘Ordinary Watercourses,’ a process known as de-maining.
De-maining is where, in agreement with the Environment Agency, local partners such as Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs) and Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs) are willing to take on the day to day management and/or regulation of the watercourses.
The scheme aims to bring significant benefits to communities, allowing those who know the layout of their land to take control of their local watercourses, and could help pave the way for further de-maining opportunities throughout England.
Drop-in sessions are being held throughout October at venues across Norfolk and Suffolk when people will be able to find out more.
Rivers featured in the Norfolk/Suffolk pilot include parts of the following watercourses: The Cookley Watercourse (near Halesworth), the River Wang (near Wangford), Waxham Cut, Tunstall Dyke (near Acle), the River Tifey (near Wymondham), Wendling Beck (near Dereham), the River Hun (near Hunstanton) and the River Stiffkey (near Fakenham).
For the Environment Agency, the project will also ensure resources are prioritised where the greatest impact on reducing flood risk can be achieved.
Rachael Hill, Flood and Coastal Risk Manager for the Environment Agency, said: “The Environment Agency is committed to listening and working with local organisations and acting on new initiatives to strengthen local decision making to make our environment a better place for people and wildlife.
“IDBs and LLFAs are very much on the ground in local communities. Giving them responsibility over their own watercourses is a win-win situation that will ensure that the right people are managing the right watercourses and flood risk management assets in the right places.
“De-maining is an extremely exciting opportunity for the Environment Agency to transfer responsibilities to IDBs, LLFAs, local authorities, farmers, landowners and the wider community to manage their own local watercourses. We welcome the launch of the community drop-in sessions and we look forward to working together to make the project a success for everyone involved.”
Innes Thomson, Chief Executive of the Association of Drainage Authorities (ADA), added: “This is an unmissable opportunity for local communities to have their say on how they would like to see their local watercourses managed in the best way to make use of the funds available, whilst improving the quality of those watercourses, the environment and community wellbeing associated with healthy, maintained rivers and streams.”
“The drop-in sessions are an ideal way to find out more about the plans, help allay possible concerns and, very importantly, to provide support for these trials so please do try and find time to come to one of them.”
Gaining local support for the transfer of watercourses through engagement and consultation is essential for the success of the project. The public drop-ins will be an opportunity for local communities and interested parties to ask questions and influence the proposals.
This will be followed by a formal consultation on GOV.UK currently scheduled for December 2017 which will seek further views on these proposals, as well as proposals to de-main additional local watercourses.
If there are no major objections, changes to the watercourses will take place in July 2018.
