The Environment Agency have published a new main river riparian landowners guide, ‘Your watercourse: rights and roles’, which supplements the ‘Owning a watercourse’ information on .gov.uk. If you own or occupy land or property next to or containing a main river in England, this guide will be helpful for you to understand your roles and responsibilities as a riparian owner.
The guide will:
- clarify your roles and responsibilities, and how these are shared between riparian landowners and other organisations such as the Environment Agency, lead local flood authorities, councils, water companies and internal drainage boards.
- summarise considerations and useful guidance on how to maintain your watercourse sustainably.
- summarise guidance on permitting of works and where to find further information and support.
- show how you can work with others to reduce flood risk and protect and enhance the natural environment of our rivers and streams.
To view the guide, you can download it from our Knowledge Hub by clicking here, or it can be found on the .gov.uk website at the end of the webpage here.
