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HAUC
HAUC

Guidance Bulletin 50

Ensuring We Meet Our Environmental Obligations!

Whilst carrying out streetworks, we operate within a wide variety of environments from city centres to rural landscapes and often work within the vicinity of watercourses, trees, hedgerows, protected species and much more. As part of this, we are often required to liaise with a variety of regulators to ensure we have the necessary permissions in place, so that we can work whilst responsibly meeting our environmental obligations.

It is vitally important that the relevant permissions are in place not only to prevent delays to streetworks but to prevent prosecution, hefty fines and reputational damage. Highway authorities and utilities should be aware that environmental permits are often required when carrying out certain planned activities (dependant on your statutory rights).

These include, but are not limited to:

  • Erecting, altering, repairing or maintaining any temporary or permanent structure in, over or under an Environment Agency Main River, such as a culvert, outfall, weir, dam, pipe crossing, erosion protection, scaffolding or bridge.
  • Building or altering any permanent or temporary structure designed to contain or di
  • vert flood waters from an Environment Agency Main River
  • Erecting any dam, weir, culvert or other like obstruction to the flow of any Ordinary Watercourse
  • Altering or extending a listed building in a way that affects its character or appearance
  • Disturbing or damaging a Scheduled Monument
  • Cutting down, topping, lopping, uprooting, wilfully damaging or wilfully destroying a tree protected by a Tree Preservation Order
  • Carrying out an activity that might kill, take, disturb or possess a protected species or its habitat Utilities should note that environmental permits are obtained from regulators such the Environment Agency, Natural England or Historic England and are therefore different to NRSWA permits. Environmental permits may have lead-times of up to 3-4 months so it is important that environmental hazards are identified as soon as possible to ensure sufficient planning and consideration can be made. It may also be pertinent to notify Highway authorities where works may be delayed due to environmental-related concerns.

Further information on environmental permits can be found here:

Environment Agency Main Rivers

Scheduled Monuments & Listed Buildings

Protected Species & Protected Sites

Tree Preservation Orders

For any queries or problems, please contact your immediate supervisor / manager in the first instance