Water Resources Act 1991

Submission of scheme

1 (1) Before submitting a special charges scheme to either of the Ministers, the Authority shall consult organisations appearing to it to represent the interests of persons engaged in agriculture in the area designated in the scheme.

(2) As soon as any special charges scheme has been submitted to either of the Ministers, the Authority shall—

(a) send copies of the scheme to—

(i) the council of any county, district or London borough wholly or partly within the relevant area;

(ii) the drainage board for any internal drainage district within the relevant area; and

(iii) every organisation appearing to the Authority to represent the interests of persons engaged in agriculture in the relevant area;

and

(b) publish, in one or more newspapers circulating in the area affected by the scheme, a notice stating—

(i) that the scheme has been submitted to that Minister;

(ii) that a copy of it is open to inspection at a specified place; and

(iii) that representations with respect to the scheme may be made to that Minister at any time within one month after the publication of the notice.

(3) Where the Authority submit a special charges scheme which designates any watercourse wholly or partly within an internal drainage district, then (unless the Authority is the drainage board for that district) the scheme must be accompanied either—

(a) by a statement of the drainage board for that district that they have consented to the designation; or

(b) by a statement that they have not consented thereto and a further statement setting out the reasons why the watercourse should nevertheless be designated for the purposes of section 137 of this Act.

(4) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (2) above “the relevant area” is the area designated in the scheme.