Natural England has urged the government not to “step away” from the nutrient neutrality rules after coming under fire from the housebuilding lobby.
The Home Builders Federation said this week that construction of 120,000 new homes was being held up by “nutrient neutrality” rules affecting 74 local authorities across England.
Under the rules, developers can only obtain planning permission if they offset the impact of extra sewage from new homes by taking measures elsewhere in the catchment to balance out the additional pollution.
Natural England chair Tony Juniper said: “It’s ambitious policy, but when it meets ground level, there is a chorus of opposition and this [the HBF intervention] is one example of it. The environmental regulations are there for a reason. We need to take steps to manage the impacts of different sectors – housing, agriculture, infrastructure – and if we weaken those rules, we are going to weaken the chances of meeting our outcomes,”
