Michael Gove is set to rip up water pollution rules that have stalled the development of thousands of new homes.
The levelling up secretary, alongside environment secretary Thérèse Coffey, is expected today to announce plans to drop the nutrient neutrality rules that have been in place since 2017.
The property industry has complained that Natural England, a government agency, has blocked the building of around 120,000 homes by enforcing the nutrient neutrality regulations, despite the fact that farmland is a far bigger contributor to the pollution of rivers and waterways.
Those briefed on the plans say the government will try to change the law through an amendment to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, which is currently in the House of Lords. Ministers might yet find it difficult to secure enough support for the bill, which must pass by the autumn or have to be reintroduced in a new bill in the King’s Speech in November.
