Council byelaws
The Land Drainage Act 1991 allows drainage authorities to set byelaws. Our byelaws specify that if your proposal for works is within 7 metres of an ordinary watercourse then consent for the proposal may be required from us.
The Land Drainage Act 1991 allows drainage authorities to set byelaws. Our byelaws specify that if your proposal for works is within 7 metres of an ordinary watercourse then consent for the proposal may be required from us.
Please contact our Drainage Team by emailing drainage@peterborough.gov.uk for further information about gaining consent. There is no charge for this kind of consent / application.
Land drainage consent
Culverting or works affecting the flow of an ordinary watercourse requires our prior written consent under the terms of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, Land Drainage Act 1991 and Water Resources Act 1991. The application process for this is described below.
Apply for land drainage consent
We would encourage you to email drainage@peterborough.gov.uk to clarify whether the works that you wish to carry out do need ordinary watercourse land drainage consent. To download the application form and view information about what else you need to submit, please visit our planning permission tool and choose 'consent for works affecting watercourses' under the 'Other' option. Please note, there is a charge of £50 per structure/application.
Culverting consent
Like the Environment Agency, we seek to avoid culverting, and its consent for such works will not normally be granted except as a means of access.
Internal Drainage Board consent
Ordinary watercourses under Internal Drainage Board management (land drainage consent), consent for works or within a certain distance of a watercourse should be sought from the Drainage Board instead of us.
The map below will show you whether or not you are within an area managed by an Internal Drainage Board. Contact details for the Internal Drainage Boards can be found online on the Association of Drainage Authorities website.
Environment Agency consent
Main rivers under Environment Agency management (flood defence consent) must be sought if you wish to carry out works affecting or near to a 'main river' you will need to contact your local Environment Agency office to find out about their consenting process.
A map of main rivers is available to download below. You can call the Environment Agency on 03708 506 506 to find out more.