The prime minister is backing Michael Gove’s efforts to water down neutient neutrality rules that are blocking thousands of new homes.
It is understood Rishi Sunak has intervened in a stand-off between the levelling up secretary and environment secretary Thérèse Coffey over the rules.
More than 70 councils have been forced to block developments of up to 120,000 new homes because of concerns about the potential additional pollution of local rivers.
Under the rules, developers can only get planning permission if they offset the impact of extra sewage from new homes by working elsewhere in the catchment area to balance out the additional pollution. That typically involves creating wetlands to strip out excess nitrogen and phosphate pollution in rivers.
A senior government source said Sunak was “minded” to support a move by Gove to change the law to allow developments to go ahead in advance of sewage treatment works being upgraded.
The change is expected to be included in the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill currently going through parliament.
