Dealing with Authorities

When developing or running a fishery, consents and permissions are needed from public bodies, principally local authorities and the Environment Agency.

Also these authorities give consents to third parties whose activities can harm your fishery.

Specialist advice is often needed in dealing with these authorities.  We can help in relation to your own fishery in the following areas

• Planning and highway authority requirements when developing a fishery.
• Issues arising from stocking fisheries.
• Land drainage consents and abstraction and impoundment licences.
• Carrying out operations in sites of special scientific interest.

Where your fishery is threatened by third party activity, robust intervention can help. You may be faced with

• Applications to planning authorities for developments affecting fisheries.
• Applications for discharge of effluent including appeals and inquiries.
• Abstraction licence applications and appeals.
• Land drainage and in-river works.

by third parties. We can give advice as to how to persuade the authorities to turn down such applications or impose conditions minimising their effect.

Unfortunately, fishery owners sometimes fall foul of fisheries and water legislation and are prosecuted or threatened with prosecution. The first objective is to persuade the authorities not to prosecute. If this is not possible, clear advice is needed as to whether the case should be defended or a plea in mitigation.

Simon Jackson Solicitors have extensive experience of both criminal defence and prosecution work.