Consents for culverts

Schedule 2 paragraph 32 (2) of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 amends Section 23 of the Land Drainage Act to require that any new culvert must have consent of the regulating body before it can be constructed.

What is a culvert?

Culvert means a covered channel or pipe which prevents the obstruction of a watercourse or drainage path by an artificial construction.

A culvert has a maximum capacity, which depends on its size, slope, roughness, and its entrance and exit design.

A flow larger than the capacity will not be able to pass through the culvert, and at that time the culvert will affect the flow, diverting it elsewhere with possible flood risk consequences.

How to apply for consent from the Council

We recommend you contact us as early as possible for advice to determine whether your proposals will be deemed to affect the flow of an ordinary watercourse and therefore require consent.  

We can also advise on what to include with your application, other organisations you may need to consult and how long it is likely to take to process your application.

Contact the Culvert Consent team

Email: OrdinaryWatercourseConsent@bedford.gov.uk