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<p>On 10 December 2014, Defra launched a consultation on proposals to integrate flood
defence consents into the Environmental Permitting framework. The new scheme will
simplify the application process while removing unnecessary costs and burdens for
those who wish to carry out construction works or other activities in, or near, main
rivers.</p><p>The River Maintenance Pilots (which explore how red tape could be reduced
for landowners who wish to undertake maintenance in man-made ditches, land drains
or previously straightened watercourses that had been dredged in the last ten years)
were launched by the Environment Agency in October 2013 and were scheduled to last
for one year. In response to interest shown by local farmers, the pilots were expanded
in May 2014 to include two new pilot areas, and expand an existing area. To allow
those affected by the 2013/14 floods extra time to carry out their work, the pilots
were also extended until mid-March 2015. We will consider the evidence from the pilots
when they are complete.</p><p>In addition, the Environment Agency and National Farmers
Union are launching a new local initiative across rural Oxfordshire to help landowners
along tributaries of the River Thames with the consenting process. This initiative
will start in 2015/16 and it is likely to expand into Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.</p><p>
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