Water Act 1989

9 Environmental duties with respect to sites of special interest

(1) Where the Nature Conservancy Council are of the opinion that any area of land—

(a) is of special interest by reason of its flora, fauna or geological or physiographical features; and

(b) may at any time be affected by schemes, works, operations or activities of a relevant body or by an authorisation given by the Authority,

the Council shall notify the fact that the land is of special interest for that reason to every relevant body whose works, operations or activities may affect the land or, as the case may be, to the Authority.

(2) Where a National Park authority or the Broads Authority is of the opinion that any area of land in a National Park or in the Broads—

(a) is land in relation to which the matters for the purposes of which section 8 above has effect are of particular importance; and

(b) may at any time be affected by schemes, works, operations or activities of a relevant body or by an authorisation given by the Authority,

the National Park authority or Broads Authority shall notify the fact that the land is such land, and the reasons why those matters are of particular importance in relation to the land, to every relevant body whose works, operations or activities may affect the land or, as the case may be, to the Authority.

(3) Where a relevant body has received a notification under subsection (1) or (2) above with respect to any land, that body shall consult the notifying body before carrying out, or (in the case of the Authority) carrying out or authorising, any works, operations or activities which appear to that relevant body to be likely—

(a) to destroy or damage any of the flora, fauna, or geological or physiographical features by reason of which the land is of special interest; or

(b) significantly to prejudice anything the importance of which is one of the reasons why the matters mentioned in subsection (2) above are of particular importance in relation to that land.

(4) Subsection (3) above shall not apply in relation to anything done in an emergency where particulars of what is done and of the emergency are notified to the Nature Conservancy Council, the National Park authority in question or, as the case may be, the Broads Authority as soon as practicable after that thing is done.

(5) In this section—

• “the Broads” has the same meaning as in the [1988 c. 4.] Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Act 1988;

• “National Park authority” means a National Park Committee or a joint or special planning board for a National Park; and

• “relevant body” has the same meaning as in section 8 above.