The Longfield Solar Farm Order 2023

PART 5 FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT AGENCY

47.—(1) The following provisions apply for the protection of the Agency unless otherwise agreed in writing between the undertaker and the Agency.

(2) In this Part of this Schedule—

“Agency” means the Environment Agency;

“construction” includes execution, placing, altering, replacing, relaying and removal and excavation and “construct” and “constructed” is 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, flood defence or tidal monitoring;

“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” has the same meaning given in section 113 of the Water Resources Act 1991;

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

“remote defence” means any berm, wall or embankment that is constructed for the purposes of preventing or alleviating flooding from, or in connection with, any main river;

“specified work” means so much of any work or operation authorised by this Order as is in, on, under, over or within;

(a)

8 metres of the base of a remote defence which is likely to—

(i)

endanger the stability of, cause damage or reduce the effectiveness of that remote defence, or

(ii)

interfere with the Agency’s access to or along that remote defence;

(b)

8 metres of a drainage work or is otherwise likely to—

(i)

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

(ii)

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

(iii)

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

(iv)

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

(v)

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

or which involves:

(c) an activity that includes dredging, raising or taking of any sand, silt, ballast, clay, gravel or other materials from or off the bed or banks of a drainage work (or causing such materials to be dredged, raised or taken), including hydrodynamic dredging or desilting; and

(d) any quarrying or excavation within 16 metres of a drainage work which is likely to cause damage to or endanger the stability of the banks or structure of that drainage work;

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

Submission and approval of plans

48.—(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 58.

(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

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

(4) 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).

(5) In the case of a refusal, if requested to do so the Agency must provide reasons for the grounds of that refusal.

Construction of protective works

49.  Without limiting paragraph 48, the requirements which the Agency may have 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.

Timing of works and service of notices

50.—(1) Subject to sub-paragraph (2), any specified work, and all protective works required by the Agency under paragraph 49, must be constructed—

(a) without unreasonable delay in accordance with the plans approved under this Part of 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 to which the protective works relate.

Works not in accordance with this Schedule

51.—(1) 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.

(2) Subject to sub-paragraph (3) and paragraph 56, if, within a reasonable period, being not less than 28 days beginning with the date when a notice under sub-paragraph (1) 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 reasonable expenditure incurred by the Agency in so doing is recoverable from the undertaker.

(3) In the event of any dispute as to whether sub-paragraph (1) 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 (2) until the dispute has been finally determined in accordance with paragraph 58.

Maintenance of works

52.—(1) Subject to sub-paragraph (6) the undertaker must from the commencement of the construction of the specified works 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 works, whether or not the drainage work is constructed under the powers conferred by this Order or is already in existence.

(2) If any such drainage work which the undertaker is liable to maintain is not maintained to the reasonable satisfaction of the Agency, the Agency may by notice in writing require the undertaker to repair and restore the work, or any part of such work, or (if the undertaker 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) and paragraph 56, 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 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 do what is necessary for such compliance and any reasonable expenditure incurred by the Agency in so doing is recoverable from the undertaker.

(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 thereof until it has obtained the consent or complied with the condition unless the cessation of the specified works or part thereof 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 58.

(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 the Order from doing so; and

(b) any obstruction of a drainage work expressly authorised in the approval of specified works plans and carried out in accordance with the provisions of this Part provided that any obstruction is removed as soon as reasonably practicable.

Remediating impaired drainage work

53.  Subject to paragraph 56, 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 incurred by the Agency in so doing from the undertaker.

Agency access

54.  If by reason of construction of the 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 maintain the flood defence or use the equipment no less effectively than was possible before the obstruction within 24 hours of the undertaker becoming aware of such obstruction.

Free passage of fish

55.—(1) The undertaker must take all such measures as may be reasonably practicable to prevent any interruption of the free passage of fish in the 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 the 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) Subject to paragraph 56, 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 described in sub-paragraph (2), the Agency may take those steps and any expenditure incurred by the Agency in so doing is recoverable from the undertaker.

(4) Subject to paragraph 56, in any case where immediate action by the Agency is reasonably required in order to secure that the risk of damage to the fishery is avoided or reduced, the Agency may take such steps as are reasonable for the purpose, and may recover from the undertaker any expenditure incurred in so doing provided that notice specifying those steps is served on the undertaker as soon as reasonably practicable after the Agency has taken, or commenced to take, the steps specified in the notice.

Indemnity

56.  The undertaker indemnifies the Agency in respect of all costs, charges and expenses which the Agency may incur—

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

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

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

57.—(1) The undertaker is responsible for and indemnifies the Agency against all costs and losses not otherwise provided for in this Schedule which may be reasonably incurred or suffered by the Agency by reason of—

(a) the construction, operation or maintenance of any specified works comprised within the authorised development or the failure of any such works comprised within them; or

(b) 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) For the avoidance of doubt, in sub-paragraph (1)—

“costs” includes—

(a)

expenses and charges;

(b)

staff costs and overheads;

(c)

legal costs;

“losses” includes physical damage.

(3) The undertaker indemnifies the Agency against all liabilities, claims and demands arising out of or in connection with the authorised development or otherwise out of the matters referred to in sub-paragraph (1)(a) and (1)(b).

(4) For the avoidance of doubt, in sub-paragraph (3)—

“claims” and “demands” include as applicable—

(a)

costs (within the meaning of sub-paragraph (2)) incurred in connection with any claim or demand;

(b)

any interest element of sums claimed or demanded;

“liabilities” includes—

(a)

contractual liabilities;

(b)

tortious liabilities (including liabilities for negligence or nuisance);

(c)

liabilities to pay statutory compensation or for breach of statutory duty;

(d)

liabilities to pay statutory penalties imposed on the basis of strict liability (but does not include liabilities to pay other statutory penalties).

(5) The Agency must give to the undertaker reasonable notice of any such claim or demand and must not settle or compromise a claim without the agreement of the undertaker and that agreement must not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.

(6) The Agency must, at all times take reasonable steps to prevent and mitigate any such claims, demands, proceedings, costs, damages, expenses or loss.

(7) The fact that any work or thing has been executed or done by the undertaker in accordance with a plan approved by the Agency, or to its satisfaction, or in accordance with any directions or award of an arbitrator, must not relieve the undertaker from any liability under the provisions of this Part of this Schedule.

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

Disputes

58.  Any dispute arising between the undertaker and the Agency under this Part of this Schedule must, if the parties agree, be determined by arbitration under article 39 (arbitration), but failing agreement be determined by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs or its successor and the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero or its successor acting jointly on a reference to them by the undertaker or the Agency, after notice in writing by one to the other.