Enforcement against unconsented work

Cornwall Council aims to work positively with local landowners to ensure that any work is:

• appropriate
• does not increase local flood risk.

Where work has been carried out without consent, and where we deem that consent would have been required, work cannot be retrospectively consented. In these cases we will normally take action to see the ordinary watercourse is put back to the condition it was in beforehand or remedial action taken,. However our powers are discretional. We will take a risk-based approach to enforcement where unconsented work has been carried out on ordinary watercourses.

If you have noticed work to an ordinary watercourse in your local area, please contact us. We will determine whether the work required our consent and whether an application for consent was made or not.

If you have a query regarding enforcement please contact the land drainage inbox.