Water Management Act 2000

Subject to subsection (2B), the holder of an access licence may surrender the licence at any time by notice in writing sent to the Minister.

In the case of an access licence in respect of which any third party interest is entered on the Access Register of access licences, the notice of surrender must be accompanied by documentary evidence that the holder of that interest consents to the licence being surrendered.

The Minister may, by written notice served on the holder of the access licence, refuse to accept the surrender of the access licence if the Minister considers it appropriate to do so or in such other circumstances as may be prescribed by the regulations.

If the notice of surrender of an access licence provides that the surrender is not to take effect until after a date specified in the notice, the Minister is not to record the surrender under section 71A in the Access Register before that date.

Without limiting section 77A or 78, the Minister may—

cancel a surrendered access licence, or

record in the Access Register that the Minister is the holder of the surrendered access licence.

Subsection (4) (b) does not prevent the Minister from subsequently dealing with a surrendered access licence in any manner that a holder of the licence may deal with it (for example, transferring the licence).