The first of thousands of trees to be planted across the upper River Aire catchment took place today as part of a pilot natural flood management project.

Cllr Judith Blake CBE, leader of Leeds City Council, planted the first tree on site at Eshton Beck, Gargrave, witnessed by volunteers, landowners, local authorities and partners. This pilot site will have 450 trees planted, to see how natural techniques can slow the flow of water and reduce the risk of flooding downstream.

Ray Bridge Farm, Eshton Beck, Gargrave is the location of the first pilot site where trees such as Dogwood, Guelder Rose, Downy Birch, Alder, and willow will be planted along with hedgerows of hawthorn, blackthorn and hazel. Yorkshire Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers will be leading the planting of trees at the site.

The natural flood management pilot forms part of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme, led by Leeds City Council in partnership with the Environment Agency, which has a catchment wide approach to flood risk as it enters its second stage.

This £500,000 pilot programme, which has been funded by Leeds City Council, forms part of plans to plant hundreds of thousands of trees that will support second phase of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme.

Working with natural processes to reduce flood risk, known as natural flood management, is an important part of managing and reducing flood risk in a sustainable way alongside more traditional engineering solutions. The interventions will also create habitat for wildlife and help regenerate rural and urban areas through tourism.

The pilot sites will allow the team to be able to do monitoring and research of the techniques used to gather evidence and increase their understanding and the benefits they give to reducing flood risk. The pilot programme will also be used by the Environment Agency and Leeds City Council to develop a co-design approach to working with landowners, tenants, local authorities and other key partners such as the Aire Rivers Trust and the White Rose Forest. This will help to then develop future plans for the catchment.

Leader of Leeds City Council Councillor Judith Blake said:

These new trees are a hugely significant part of our plans to protect Leeds from future flooding like the devastation we saw on Boxing Day 2015.

It’s great to be working with partner authorities along the River Aire to get the first of the trees planted.

They are part of what will be a range of natural flood management measures in a catchment wide approach to prevent future catastrophic floods affecting communities along the river.

Adrian Gill, Area Flood Risk Manager at the Environment Agency said:

I’m really pleased to launch this pilot programme in partnership with Leeds City Council. Using natural techniques to minimise flood risk while creating new habitats and increasing woodland cover across the Aire catchment will help realise the ambitions set out in the Defra’s 25 year environment plan.

While we can never truly eliminate the threat of flooding, working together across local authority boundaries to develop and deliver this programme will help us to create better, more effective solutions to a catchment-wide challenge.

Following the successful opening of the £50million first phase of the scheme serving the city centre, Holbeck and Woodlesford in October last year, phase two identifies measures further upstream including the Kirkstall corridor which was badly hit by the 2015 Christmas floods. It also looks at areas beyond the city boundary to further reduce the possibility of the river flooding in Leeds, as well as additional measures to offer protection for the South Bank area of the city centre which is a key future economic driver for Leeds.

The phase two plans have a strong focus on natural flood management, with proposals to create new woodland areas which would more than double canopy coverage in the River Aire catchment. It also proposes water storage areas to be created and developed, operated by control gates system meaning water can be held and then released back into the river when safe to do so. A third element would be the removal of existing obstructions along the river to help reduce water levels, along with lowering the riverbed in places to improve its capacity and flow.

An outline business case for phase 2 has been completed, which was submitted at the end of January 2018. Outline design for engineered options is being progressed, which will be followed by a tender process with an aim to awarding the construction contract award in autumn 2018.

The first of thousands of trees to be planted across the upper River Aire catchment took place today as part of a pilot natural flood management project.

Cllr Judith Blake CBE, leader of Leeds City Council, planted the first tree on site at Eshton Beck, Gargrave, witnessed by volunteers, landowners, local authorities and partners. This pilot site will have 450 trees planted, to see how natural techniques can slow the flow of water and reduce the risk of flooding downstream.

Ray Bridge Farm, Eshton Beck, Gargrave is the location of the first pilot site where trees such as Dogwood, Guelder Rose, Downy Birch, Alder, and willow will be planted along with hedgerows of hawthorn, blackthorn and hazel. Yorkshire Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers will be leading the planting of trees at the site.

The natural flood management pilot forms part of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme, led by Leeds City Council in partnership with the Environment Agency, which has a catchment wide approach to flood risk as it enters its second stage.

This £500,000 pilot programme, which has been funded by Leeds City Council, forms part of plans to plant hundreds of thousands of trees that will support second phase of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme.

Working with natural processes to reduce flood risk, known as natural flood management, is an important part of managing and reducing flood risk in a sustainable way alongside more traditional engineering solutions. The interventions will also create habitat for wildlife and help regenerate rural and urban areas through tourism.

The pilot sites will allow the team to be able to do monitoring and research of the techniques used to gather evidence and increase their understanding and the benefits they give to reducing flood risk. The pilot programme will also be used by the Environment Agency and Leeds City Council to develop a co-design approach to working with landowners, tenants, local authorities and other key partners such as the Aire Rivers Trust and the White Rose Forest. This will help to then develop future plans for the catchment.

Leader of Leeds City Council Councillor Judith Blake said:

These new trees are a hugely significant part of our plans to protect Leeds from future flooding like the devastation we saw on Boxing Day 2015.

It’s great to be working with partner authorities along the River Aire to get the first of the trees planted.

They are part of what will be a range of natural flood management measures in a catchment wide approach to prevent future catastrophic floods affecting communities along the river.

Adrian Gill, Area Flood Risk Manager at the Environment Agency said:

I’m really pleased to launch this pilot programme in partnership with Leeds City Council. Using natural techniques to minimise flood risk while creating new habitats and increasing woodland cover across the Aire catchment will help realise the ambitions set out in the Defra’s 25 year environment plan.

While we can never truly eliminate the threat of flooding, working together across local authority boundaries to develop and deliver this programme will help us to create better, more effective solutions to a catchment-wide challenge.

Following the successful opening of the £50million first phase of the scheme serving the city centre, Holbeck and Woodlesford in October last year, phase two identifies measures further upstream including the Kirkstall corridor which was badly hit by the 2015 Christmas floods. It also looks at areas beyond the city boundary to further reduce the possibility of the river flooding in Leeds, as well as additional measures to offer protection for the South Bank area of the city centre which is a key future economic driver for Leeds.

The phase two plans have a strong focus on natural flood management, with proposals to create new woodland areas which would more than double canopy coverage in the River Aire catchment. It also proposes water storage areas to be created and developed, operated by control gates system meaning water can be held and then released back into the river when safe to do so. A third element would be the removal of existing obstructions along the river to help reduce water levels, along with lowering the riverbed in places to improve its capacity and flow.

An outline business case for phase 2 has been completed, which was submitted at the end of January 2018. Outline design for engineered options is being progressed, which will be followed by a tender process with an aim to awarding the construction contract award in autumn 2018.

This release includes measures installed under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and the Green Deal schemes. It also includes further analysis and geographical breakdowns of ECO measures, ECO delivery costs, estimated carbon and energy savings from measures installed and the supply chain. These statistics are provisional and are subject to future revisions.

You can view your water abstraction or impoundment licence information online.

If your circumstances or need for water changes, you can apply to vary or revoke your abstraction or impoundment licence.

Change (vary) your licence

Major change

A major change is anything more than a change to contact details. Contact the Environment Agency if you are not sure if your change is major.

To make a major variation to your abstraction licence read the guidance and complete all of these forms:

• Part A application for a water resources licence
• Part B application for a water resources abstraction licence
• Part C application for a water resources abstraction licence

See the water resource application forms and form guidance.

To make a major variation to your impoundment licence read the guidance and complete all of these forms:

• Part A application for a water resources licence
• Part B application for a water resources abstraction licence
• Part D application for a water resources impoundment licence

See the water resource application forms and form guidance.

See the Abstraction charges scheme to find out how much it will cost to vary your licence.

Minor change

To make a minor change, such as updating your name and address:

• complete the form application to make minor changes to a water abstraction licence

There is no application charge to make a minor change to your licence.

Reduce the quantity of water you abstract

Complete the form application to reduce a licensed water abstraction quantity.

There is no application charge to reduce the quantity of water you are licensed to abstract.

Transfer your abstraction licence

To transfer the whole of an abstraction or impoundment licence from one person to another:

• complete the form notice to transfer water abstraction or impoundment licence

There is no application charge to transfer your licence to someone else.

Split (apportion) your abstraction licence

To split (apportion) an existing licence between two or more persons:

• complete the form application and agreement to share a water abstraction licence

There is no application charge to split (apportion) your licence.

Revoke your licence

Complete the form application to revoke a water abstraction licence to revoke your abstraction licence.

Make sure you fill in the correct licence number when you apply for a revocation.

Contact us if you want to revoke your impoundment licence.

There is no charge to revoke a licence.

Death or bankruptcy

If the licence holder dies or is an individual who is declared bankrupt, the licence can become the responsibility of (can be ‘vested’ in) their trustee.

The trustee must tell the Environment Agency within 15 months that they are responsible for the licence. If they do not, the licence will become invalid after 15 months.

There is no guarantee a new licence will be issued, but if it is, it may be more restrictive.

Enforced changes to your licence

If your licensed abstraction is causing or could cause damage to the environment, the Environment Agency may propose to change or revoke your licence. This will include adding a time limit to the licence if it does not already have one, unless you propose to make the licence change voluntarily.

The licence holder may be entitled to compensation. However, if your licence needs to be changed or revoked because it is causing or could cause serious damage to the environment, you will not be entitled to compensation.

To help you understand whether you are eligible for compensation, read the leaflet Restoring sustainable abstraction: compensation, or email the Environment Agency Restoring Sustainable Abstraction team:

Email: rsa@environment-agency.gov.uk

Contact the Environment Agency

Measure your water abstraction

Most licences require you to accurately measure and report the quantity of water you abstract. The Environment Agency will discuss these requirements with you while they determine your application.

You need to measure and record the amount of water you abstract so you can keep within the limits allowed in your licence. If you think you need to abstract more than your maximum quantity, you must tell the Environment Agency straight away. There is no guarantee that we will be able to increase the maximum quantity your licence allows you to abstract.

We need accurate records of how much water is taken so we can:

• ensure society’s need for water is balanced with that needed to maintain a healthy aquatic environment
• allocate spare resources to other abstractors
• charge some abstractors based on how much water they take
• check compliance with licence conditions
• provide information on water usage

Report your water abstraction

Your abstraction licence will tell you how often you need to record the amount of water you abstract. Most licences will also ask you to submit a record of your actual abstraction (known as ‘returns’) to the Environment Agency.

Even if you have not taken any water, you must submit a ‘nil’ return if your licence states that you must report your water use.

If you do not submit your record of actual abstraction when required to do so, we may take enforcement action.

If you spray irrigate and hold a two part tariff billing agreement your charges are partially calculated on the amount of water abstracted. To gain the full financial benefits of this agreement it is important that you submit your return, even if you have not abstracted any water.

Submit your water abstraction returns

You can submit your water abstraction returns using forms supplied by the Environment Agency or use their online reporting system called Generic Operator Returns (GOR).

Submit water abstraction returns.

Contact the Environment Agency