I'm interested in buying a beautiful house with a garden
that runs down to the River Cam. What rights or responsibilities do
I have in relation to the riverbank?
If you own property or even land, that is situated next to and
abuts a river you are deemed to be a 'Riparian Landowner'.
The rights that accrue to such landowners are long established in
English Common Law. The rights and obligations which accrue to this
position have developed in more recent years to incorporate and
your rights in line with third party rights, for example, the Local
Authority.
In owning land which could be a riverbank, you are subject to
certain rights but also responsibilities. Firstly it is prudent to
check that the riverbank actually forms part of your land and this
can be done by checking the Deeds. If it is indeed part of your
property, or likely to have an effect on your property, you are
entitled to protect your property from flooding risk, but you may
well need to have these
