Sefton - Notice of Application to Vary an Existing Licence
What is happening?
ENVIRONMENT AGENCY
Water Resources Act 1991 (as amended by the Water Act 2003) Notice of application to vary an existing licence
The Environment Agency is applying to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
The application is to vary existing transfer licence NW/069/0031/007 for all year abstraction via a 300-millimetre diameter gravity fed pipe and sluice from the River Alt at Lunt Meadows, Lunt at National Grid Reference (NGR): SD 35285 02658 for the purpose of wetland creation to facilitate water quality improvement. The licence allows abstracted water to be passed through a reedbed system in a wetland to improve water quality using soil dwelling microbes before being discharged back to the River Alt downstream at NGR: SD 34453 03329.
This variation proposes to correct the abstraction point to NGR: SD 35285 02658 and the discharge point to NGR: SD 34453 03329 and to remove the abstraction restriction of a maximum of 5 hours per day from Monday to Friday entirely, to allow continuous abstraction for water quality improvement. And it further proposes to remove the requirement to install an eel screen at the abstraction point because there are very few eels within this catchment and under a habitat management project within the wetland to install fish refuges and to expand reedbed fringe habitats there will be an increase in available eel habitat within the Alt catchment. Retaining the need for an eel screen would exclude eels from this wetland habitat and the potential development of an Elver nursery.
The Environment Agency is giving notice of this application, in accordance with Section 37 of the Water Resources Act 1991 and Paragraph 2 of Schedule 2 of the Water Resources (Abstraction and Impounding) Regulations 2006.
You can request copies of the application and documents submitted with them to the Environment Agency email address PSC-WaterResources@environment-agency.gov.uk and we will email them to you.
Send any representation about this application in writing, quoting the reference number NPS/WR/043504 to the Environment Agency at the Permitting and Support Centre, Water Resources Team, Quadrant 2, 99 Parkway Avenue, Sheffield, S9 4WF or by email to PSC-WaterResources@environment-agency.gov.uk by 3rd October 2025.
After the 3rd October 2025, the Environment Agency will be able to grant a licence authorising the proposal. The licence shall be viewed as granted, unless the Secretary of State, either as a result of any representations made about the proposal or otherwise, instructs or asks for an application to be made to them.
For advice about how to make a representation call 03708 506 506.
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