The Powysland Internal Drainage Board is an autonomous statutory body which was established in 1938 under the Land Drainage Act 1930.

The Powysland IDB took over from a former Drainage Authority known as the Tirymynech Embankment Commissioners. The first meeting of the new Board took place in February 1938. The Board now operates under the Land Drainage Act 1991, its Byelaws were reviewed in November 2000.

The Tirymynech Embankment Commissioners was formed under the Enclosure Act of 1788 to enclose 2,600 acres of land to prevent the inundation caused by the Rivers Severn & Vyrnwy from overflowing onto land to the west of the river. This included all the flood defence argaes (flood banks) from Pool Quay to Llandrinio, up the Bele Brook to the Wern and on the West Bank of the Vyrnwy from Llandrinio to Llanymynech Bridge. Subsequently, the argaes became the responsibility of the River Board, now the Environment Agency.

The current legislation, under which the Board operates, is the Land Drainage Act 1991, subsequent Statutory Instruments and its own Byelaws.

The Board is made up of elected members who must be either an occupier of land in the drainage area or deputy for the occupiers or a County Councillor appointed by the Authority responsible for the non-agricultural levy. The total number of members that the Board may have is 12. Elections are held every 3 years.

The area managed by the Board covers 6,516 ha (16,101 acres) has 156 kms of watercourses and includes the valley of the River Severn from Garthmyl to the River Vyrnwy in the Community of Llandysilio, the Guilsfield Brook, the Sarnau Brook and the Camlad and the Aylesford Brook parts of which are in Shropshire. The outer boundary of the Board is governed by what is known as "The Medway Letter" from M.A.A.F. dated 28th June 1930 which defined the limits of Internal Drainage Boards as the area up to 8ft above the highest known flood level whether rural or urban.

The Board works closely with The Environment Agency and it reports to both DEFRA and the Welsh Assembly Government.

The Byelaws approved by the Board are in a standard format agreed by the Association of Drainage Authorities, MAFF now DEFRA, and the Welsh Assembly Government (thus there are a number of clauses that refer to tidal and coastal waters and are not relevant to this Board).

Please click on the link below to download a Land Drainage Consent Form.

Download: Land Drainage Consent Form - 1.7MB (Adobe PDF File)

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