The M20 Junction 10a Development Consent Order 2017

PART 3 FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT AGENCY

18.  The following provisions apply for the protection of the Agency unless otherwise agreed in writing between the undertaker and the Agency.

19.  In this Part of this Schedule—

“the Agency” means the Environment Agency;

“construction” includes placing, altering, replacing, relaying, removing and excavation and “construct” and “constructed” are to be construed accordingly;

“drainage work” means any main river and includes any land which provides or is expected to provide flood storage capacity for any main river and any bank, wall, embankment or other structure, or any appliance, constructed or used for land drainage or flood defence or tidal monitoring and any ancillary works constructed as a consequence of works carried out for drainage purposes;

“fishery” means any waters containing fish and fish in, or migrating to or from, such waters and the spawn, spawning ground, habitat or food of such fish;

“main river” means all watercourses shown as such on the statutory main river maps held by the Agency and the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs including any structure or appliance for controlling or regulating the flow of water in or out of the channel;

“plans” includes sections, drawings, specifications calculations and method statements;

“specified work” means so much of any work or operation authorised by this Order as is in, on, under, over or within 8 metres of a drainage work or is otherwise likely to—

(a)

affect any drainage work or the volumetric rate of flow of water in or flowing to or from any drainage work;

(b)

affect the flow, purity or quality of water in any watercourse or other surface waters or ground water;

(c)

cause obstruction to the free passage of fish or damage to any fishery;

(d)

affect the conservation, distribution or use of water resources; or

(e)

affect the conservation value of the main river and habitats in its immediate vicinity;

“watercourse” includes all rivers, streams, ditches, drains, cuts, culverts, dykes, sluices, basins, sewers and passages through which water flows except a public sewer.

20.—(1) Before beginning to construct any specified work, the undertaker must submit to the Agency plans of the specified work and such further particulars available to it as the Agency may within 28 days of the receipt of the plans reasonably request.

(2) Any such specified work must not be constructed except in accordance with such plans as may be approved in writing by the Agency, or determined under paragraph 29.

(3) Any approval of the Agency required under this paragraph—

(a) must not be unreasonably withheld or delayed;

(b) is deemed to have been refused if it is neither given nor refused within 2 months of the submission of the plans or receipt of further particulars if such particulars have been requested by the Agency for approval and, in the case of a refusal, accompanied by a statement of the grounds of refusal; and

(c) may be given subject to such reasonable requirements as the Agency may make for the protection of any drainage work, fishery or water resources or for the prevention of flooding or pollution or in the discharge of its environmental duties.

(4) Any requirement made by the Agency under sub-paragraph (3)(c) may include—

(a) a requirement for the undertaker to carry out monitoring during the implementation of any de-watering scheme approved by the Agency under this paragraph and to supply data arising from that monitoring to the Agency; and

(b) a requirement for the undertaker not to prevent or materially restrict the Agency’s use of any access route during construction of the specified work or, where that is not possible owing to the nature of the work, a requirement for the undertaker to provide for use by the Agency during construction of the specified work a reasonably suitable alternative to the access route.

(5) The Agency must use its reasonable endeavours to respond to the submission of any plans before the expiration of the period mentioned in sub-paragraph (3)(b).

21.  Without limitation on the scope of paragraph 20, but subject always to the provisions of that paragraph as to reasonableness, the requirements which the Agency may make under that paragraph include conditions requiring the undertaker at its own expense to construct such protective works, whether temporary or permanent, before or during the construction of the specified works (including the provision of flood banks, walls or embankments or other new works and the strengthening, repair or renewal of existing banks, walls or embankments) as are reasonably necessary—

(a) to safeguard any drainage work against damage; or

(b) to secure that its efficiency for flood defence purposes is not impaired and that the risk of flooding is not otherwise increased,

by reason of any specified work.

22.—(1) Subject to sub-paragraph (2), any specified work, and all protective works required by the Agency under paragraph 21, must be constructed—

(a) without unreasonable delay in accordance with the plans approved or deemed to have been approved or settled under this Schedule; and

(b) to the reasonable satisfaction of the Agency,

and the Agency is entitled by its officer to watch and inspect the construction of such works.

(2) The undertaker must give to the Agency not less than 14 days’ notice in writing of its intention to commence construction of any specified work and notice in writing of its completion not later than 7 days after the date on which it is completed.

(3) If the Agency reasonably requires, the undertaker must construct all or part of the protective works so that they are in place prior to the construction of any specified work.

(4) If any part of a specified work or any protective work required by the Agency is constructed otherwise than in accordance with the requirements of this Part of this Schedule, the Agency may by notice in writing require the undertaker at the undertaker’s own expense to comply with the requirements of this Part of this Schedule or (if the undertaker so elects and the Agency in writing consents, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) to remove, alter or pull down the work and, where removal is required, to restore the site to its former condition to such extent and within such limits as the Agency reasonably requires.

(5) Subject to sub-paragraph (6) if, within a reasonable period, being not less than 28 days from the date when a notice under sub-paragraph (4) is served upon the undertaker, the undertaker has failed to begin taking steps to comply with the requirements of the notice and has not subsequently made reasonably expeditious progress towards their implementation, the Agency may execute the works specified in the notice and any expenditure reasonably incurred by the Agency in so doing is recoverable from the undertaker.

(6) In the event of any dispute as to whether sub-paragraph (4) is properly applicable to any work in respect of which notice has been served under that sub-paragraph, or as to the reasonableness of any requirement of such a notice, the Agency must not except in the case of an emergency exercise the powers conferred by sub-paragraph (5) until the dispute has been finally determined in accordance with paragraph 29.

23.—(1) Subject to sub-paragraph (6), the undertaker must from the commencement of the construction of a specified work until the date falling 12 months from the date of completion of such specified work (“the maintenance period”), maintain in good repair and condition and free from obstruction any drainage work which is situated within the limits of deviation and on land held by the undertaker for the purposes of or in connection with the specified work, whether or not the drainage work is constructed under the powers conferred by this Order or is already in existence. Upon the expiry of the maintenance period, the drainage work must be maintained by the highway authority of the highway to which the specified work relates.

(2) If any such drainage work is not maintained to the reasonable satisfaction of the Agency, the Agency may by notice in writing require the person liable for maintenance to repair and restore the work, or any part of such work, or (if the person liable for maintenance so elects and the Agency in writing consents, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed), to remove the work and restore the site to its former condition, to such extent and within such limits as the Agency reasonably requires.

(3) Subject to sub-paragraph (5), if, within a reasonable period being not less than 28 days beginning with the date on which a notice in respect of any drainage work is served under sub-paragraph (2) on the person liable for maintenance, that person has failed to begin taking steps to comply with the reasonable requirements of the notice and has not subsequently made reasonably expeditious progress towards their implementation, the Agency may do what is necessary for such compliance and any expenditure reasonably incurred by the Agency in so doing shall be recoverable from that person.

(4) If there is any failure by the undertaker to obtain consent or comply with conditions imposed by the Agency in accordance with these protective provisions the Agency may serve written notice requiring the undertaker to cease all or part of the specified works and the undertaker must cease the specified works or part of them until it has obtained the consent or complied with the condition unless the cessation of the specified works or part of them would cause greater damage than compliance with the written notice.

(5) In the event of any dispute as to the reasonableness of any requirement of a notice served under sub-paragraph (2), the Agency must not except in the case of an emergency exercise the powers conferred by sub-paragraph (3) until the dispute has been finally determined in accordance with paragraph 29.

(6) This paragraph does not apply to—

(a) drainage works which are vested in the Agency, or which the Agency or another person is liable to maintain and is not proscribed by the powers of this Order from doing so; and

(b) any obstruction of a drainage work for the purpose of a work or operation authorised by this Order and carried out in accordance with the provisions of this Part of this Schedule.

24.  If by reason of the construction of any specified work or of the failure of any such work the efficiency of any drainage work for flood defence purposes is impaired, or that drainage work is otherwise damaged, such impairment or damage must be made good by the undertaker to the reasonable satisfaction of the Agency and if the undertaker fails to do so, the Agency may make good the impairment or damage and recover any expenditure reasonably incurred by the Agency in doing so from the undertaker.

25.  If by reason of construction of a specified work the Agency’s access to flood defences or equipment maintained for flood defence purposes is materially obstructed, the undertaker must provide such alternative means of access that will allow the Agency to access the flood defence or equipment no less effectively than was possible before the obstruction within 24 hours of the undertaker becoming aware of such obstruction.

26.—(1) The undertaker must take all such measures as may be reasonably practicable to prevent any interruption of the free passage of fish in a fishery during the construction of any specified work.

(2) If by reason of—

(a) the construction of any specified work; or

(b) the failure of any such work,

damage to a fishery is caused, or the Agency has reason to expect that such damage may be caused, the Agency may serve notice on the undertaker requiring it to take such steps as may be reasonably practicable to make good the damage, or, as the case may be, to protect the fishery against such damage.

(3) If within such time as may be reasonably practicable for that purpose after the receipt of written notice from the Agency of any damage or expected damage to a fishery, the undertaker fails to take such steps as are required under sub-paragraph (2), the Agency may take those steps and any expenditure reasonably incurred by the Agency in so doing shall be recoverable from the undertaker.

27.—(1) The undertaker must repay to the Agency all costs, charges, expenses, damages and losses not otherwise provided for in this Part of this Schedule which may be reasonably incurred or suffered by the Agency by reason of—

(a) the examination or approval of plans under this Part of this Schedule;

(b) the inspection of the construction of the specified works or any protective works required by the Agency under this Part of this Schedule;

(c) the carrying out of any surveys or tests by the Agency which are reasonably required in connection with the construction of the specified works; or

(d) any act or omission of the undertaker, its employees, contractors or agents or others whilst engaged upon the construction, operation or maintenance of the authorised development or dealing with any failure of the authorised development.

(2) The fact that any act or thing may have been done—

(a) by the Agency on behalf of the undertaker; or

(b) by the undertaker, its employees, contractors or agents in accordance with plans or particulars submitted to or modifications or conditions specified by the Agency, or in a manner approved by the Agency, or under its supervision or the supervision of its duly authorised representative,

does not excuse the undertaker from liability under the provisions of this paragraph.

(3) Nothing in sub-paragraph (2) imposes any liability on the undertaker with respect to any costs, charges, expenses, damages or losses to the extent that they are attributable to the act, neglect or default of the Agency, its officers, servants, contractors or agents.

(4) The Agency must give the undertaker written notice of any such claim or demand as is referred to in sub-paragraph (1) as soon as it becomes aware of such claim or demand, and no settlement or compromise of any such claim or demand is to be made without the prior consent of the undertaker, such consent not to be unreasonably conditioned, withheld or delayed.

28.  If following construction of the authorised development the Agency’s access to the Aylesford Stream is materially obstructed or any pre-existing rights of access to the Aylesford Stream over the Order land are extinguished, the undertaker must provide such alternative means of access and grant such rights over the Order land as will allow the Agency to access the Aylesford Stream no less effectively than was possible before the obstruction or extinguishment of rights.

29.  Any dispute arising between the undertaker and the Agency under this Part of this Schedule is to be determined by arbitration under article 46 (Arbitration).