Defra, the Welsh Government, the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales have been consulting on proposals to withdraw most of the current statutory exemptions from the system of water abstraction licensing (consultation closes 8 April 2016). This will result in most such abstractions (with limited exceptions for low risk abstractions) being subject as 'New Abstractions' for the first time to water abstraction licensing, a process which is intended to start in 2016.
The proposals will affect:
As we move into 2022, we look back at some of the key developments in environmental law in 2021 and look ahead to what is coming up in 2022