Update meeting with Norfolk Environment, Food and Farming – September 2026

On 10 September, the Sustainable Abstraction Projects Team met representatives from Norfolk Environment, Food and Farming (NEFF), including Steve Moncaster, Anthony Seaman and Chris Deane. The meeting covered the Broads Plan, water resources planning and current modelling work.

NEFF updated us on its sub-regional modelling for the Upton Broad studies. The next phase will explore a range of abstraction management scenarios and their environmental impacts. The Upton Broad model and NEFF’s wider modelling work will be discussed further with Natural England and at a modelling meeting this autumn.

The group also discussed emerging water resource proposals, including potential reservoir and abstraction projects across the Broads, including those helped develop through Local Resource Options (LRO) screening studies through the EA. Several schemes remain at an early stage, and applicants continue to engage with NEFF and the Environment Agency. We outlined the National Permitting Service’s pre-application and application processes and encouraged applicants to submit proposals when they are ready.

We talked through our progress on flow-based conditions within the Bure catchment, discussing how future licence conditions could be implemented in a way that protects the environment while providing clarity for abstractors. Further information on this approach will be shared in the coming months.

We discussed our modelling progress, timeline of future modelling scenarios and how this fits in with overall project timescales. Revised modelling results are currently expected to be available by mid-November 2026. The wider programme will then continue through assessment and option appraisal stages before any decisions are made regarding abstraction licences from April 2027.

Importantly, no changes to permanent licences would come into effect before October 2029. The programme will continue to engage with licence holders and stakeholders throughout the process to ensure that those potentially affected understand the evidence, timescales and opportunities for input.

We are working towards the planned meetings with NEFF and look forward to continued discussions as the project moves forward.