Guidance for applying for bathing water designation updated
Updates make the guidance for applying for bathing water designation clearer and more streamlined for applicants
A section of the River Deben at Waldringfield, Suffolk.
The government has updated its guidance for applying for bathing water designation in England today (Monday 3 July). The guidance on applying to de-designate existing bathing waters has also been updated.
The updates mean that the application process is now easier to follow and ensures the criteria for designation are clearly set out. Defra will use the updated guidance to assess all future applications for bathing water designation. This means all applications received this year will now be assessed against the updated guidance.
The main changes to the designation guidance are:
- There must be at least 100 bathers a day at the site during the bathing season.
- Applicants must carry out user surveys on two days during the bathing season to provide evidence of this.
- There must be access to toilet facilities within 500m of the bathing water site.
- Clearer guidance on seeking local views on proposals to designate sites as bathing waters.
- The introduction of an application form to make it easier for people to prepare their applications.
Designated bathing waters are coastal or inland waters that are used by large numbers of bathers and have facilities to promote and support bathing as set out in the Bathing Water Regulations 2013.
Applications for bathing water designation in 2024 must be submitted to Defra by 31 October this year. Defra considers all applications against the guidance and then runs a public consultation on those which meet the criteria. If the sites are designated, the Environment Agency will regularly take samples at the bathing water during the bathing season - which runs between 15 May and 30 September every year.
All designated bathing waters are classified annually as excellent, good, sufficient or poor. 93% of bathing waters in England met the highest standards of ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ in 2022, up from just 76% in 2010.
The full guidance can be found on GOV.UK.