The Yare Planning Group is based on the Environment Agency Yare catchment, one of four operational catchments in the Broadland management catchment. The main settlements in the area are Norwich, Wymondham and Hethersett. Land-use outside of the urban areas is dominated by arable farming and woodland, giving way to marsh grazing in the Broads. Links to the Environment Agency Broadland Abstraction Licence Strategy (ALS) and the Yare Catchment Data Explorer page are here:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a821229ed915d74e3401912/ALS_2017_Broadland.pdf
https://environment.data.gov.uk/catchment-planning/OperationalCatchment/3553
The upper parts of the Yare catchment are underlain by Chalk, while areas of the lower catchment to the east of Norwich are underlain by Crag. Across most upland areas the solid geology is covered by deposits of Till, while in areas closer to the rivers it is either exposed or covered with deposits of Glacial Sands and Gravels or Alluvium. Members in this Planning Group mainly abstract surface water from rivers and streams or groundwater from the Chalk and the Crag.
To the east of Norwich, the Yare catchment contains Broads and Marshes which are designated Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs). These are currently being investigated, with licence reductions to meet Habitats Directive requirements due to be implemented in October 2028. A link to the Environment Agency Broads Plan is here:
https://engageenvironmentagency.uk.engagementhq.com/the-broads-sustainable-abstraction-plan
The Yare catchment also contains Norfolk valley fen SSSIs which are designated SACs and SPAs. The condition of these is currently being assessed, with the need for licence changes to meet Habitats Regulation requirements being considered. All remaining abstractions in the catchments will be reviewed as part of the Environment Agency Catchment Permit Review process expected to be completed between 2028 & 2035.
From the National Framework for Water Resources (2025), a small number of waterbodies in the Yare catchment are at risk of licence reductions under current conditions, with some of these reductions being significant. Over the period to 2050 and 2080 this risk increases, with large reductions possible in most Yare waterbodies.
National Framework for Water Resources 2025: Risk of licence reductions by waterbody for the Yare Planning Group (see also NF2025 Licence Reductions.docx)
A link to the National Framework for Water Resources 2025 data is here:
https://environment.data.gov.uk/dataset/4347271e-4867-4c5a-a2ae-d4830b3eeb03
