Issue - meetings

To receive a report by the Head of Environment and Transport on the enmainment process of watercourses in the district.

Noted the enmainment process for Fox Book and Hen Brook and the potential future enmainment of the three awarded watercourses at Colmworth Brook, Houghton Field Drain and Kingsbrook Drain be noted;

Noted that a proposal by the Environment Agency to contract the Council to undertake responsibility for the maintenance of the enmained watercourses be not accepted

That the funds associated with the maintenance of the newly enmained watercourses be not transferred from the Council to the Environment Agency.

With reference to a report by the Head of Environment and Transport and in view of the comments of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Planning and Finance) copies of which are appended in the Minute Book, the Cabinet noted that following widespread flooding in 1998, the Government had identified a number of Critical Ordinary Watercourses (COWS) which were most likely to cause flooding to properties and had sought to clarify responsibility for these watercourses.

The Cabinet were advised that five watercourses in the District had been identified as critical, of which three were “awarded” watercourses for which the Council retains statutory responsibility for all maintenance work.  These watercourses were identified as

¨  Colmworth Brook;

¨  Houghton Field Drain; and

¨  Kingsbrook Drain.

Having noted that responsibility for maintenance of Fox Brook and Hen Brook also lay with the Council as riparian owner of adjacent land it was

RESOLVED

  (a)that the enmainment process for Fox Book and Hen Brook and the potential future enmainment of the three awarded watercourses at Colmworth Brook, Houghton Field Drain and Kingsbrook Drain be noted;

  (b)that a proposal by the Environment Agency to contract the Council to undertake responsibility for the maintenance of the enmained watercourses be not accepted; and

  (c)that the funds associated with the maintenance of the newly enmained watercourses be not transferred from the Council to the Environment Agency.