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Section 35: Restrictions on persons who may make applications for abstraction licences.

Water Resources Act 1991 · 1991 c. 57View on legislation.gov.uk

Part II: Water Resources Management — Chapter II: ABSTRACTION AND IMPOUNDING

No application for a licence under this Chapter to abstract water shall be entertained unless it is made by a person entitled to make the application in accordance with the following provisions of this section.

In relation to abstractions from any inland waters, a person shall be entitled to make the application if, as respects the place (or, if more than one, as respects each of the places) at which the proposed abstractions are to be effected, he satisfies the appropriate agency that—

he has, or at the time when the proposed licence is to take effect will have, a right of access to land contiguous to the inland waters at that place (or those places); and
he will continue to have such a right for the period of at least one year beginning with the date on which the proposed licence is to take effect, or until it is to expire (if sooner).

In relation to abstractions from underground strata, a person shall be entitled to make the application if he satisfies the appropriate agency that—

he has, or at the time when the proposed licence is to take effect will have, a right of access to land consisting of or comprising those underground strata; and
he will continue to have such a right for the period of at least one year beginning with the date on which the proposed licence is to take effect, or until it is to expire (if sooner).

The appropriate agency may, in particular, take evidence of a person's occupation of land to be evidence of his right of access to it.

Any reference in this section to a person who will have a right of access to land of any description—

includes a reference to a person who satisfies the appropriate agency that he has entered into negotiations for the acquisition of an interest in land of that description such that, if the interest is acquired by him, he will be entitled to a right of access to that land; and
without prejudice to the application of paragraph (a) above to a person who is or can be authorised to acquire land compulsorily, also includes any person who satisfies the appropriate agency that by virtue of any enactment, the compulsory acquisition by that person of land of that description either has been authorised or can be authorised and has been initiated.

In subsection (4) above the reference to initiating the compulsory acquisition of land by a person is a reference to—

the submission to the relevant Minister of a draft of an order which, if made by that Minister in the form of the draft, will authorise that person to acquire that land compulsorily, with or without other land; or
the submission to the relevant Minister of an order which, if confirmed by that Minister as submitted will authorise that person to acquire that land compulsorily, with or without other land.

In subsection (5) above "the relevant Minister", in relation to the compulsory acquisition of land by any person, means the Minister who, in accordance with the enactment mentioned in subsection (4)(b) above, is empowered to authorise that person to acquire land compulsorily.

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This legislation text comes from legislation.gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. These source and reuse terms cover the legislation text, not Remedy's commentary.

Reuse reviewed 21 August 2026 under Open Government Licence v3.0.