Local land drainage bye-laws
We have been granted local land drainage bye-laws, approved by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in July 2017.
These bye-laws aim to manage works on or near an ordinary watercourse. They apply to watercourses that have not been designated as 'main rivers' by the Environment Agency and are outside the Internal Drainage Board’s area. The bye-laws support existing consent requirements under the Land Drainage Act 1991 and should be considered by anyone planning works or developments close to a watercourse.
The main controls provided by the bye-laws include:
- maintaining an undeveloped 9-metre buffer strip on each side of an ordinary watercourse
- requiring consents for permanent works within the 9-metre strip, including works under and over the watercourse
- placing restrictions on works that may directly or indirectly increase the flow or volume of water in an ordinary watercourse
We may take enforcement action against anyone carrying out unapproved works that block a free-flowing channel or interfere with required maintenance access to a watercourse. To confirm whether any proposed works require consent under the Land Drainage Act 1991 or the drainage bye-laws, please contact the Bedford Group of Internal Drainage Boards, who manage this process on our behalf.