On 29th August, Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, announced that the UK would scrap rules introduced by the EU to protect waterways from pollution in order to boost housebuilding.
Nutrient Neutrality changes – an act of lunacy or what we need to get Britain building?
05 Sep 23
Whilst cutting red tape has been a campaign pledge of successive Conservative administrations over the past 13 years, this has largely been followed by reassurances that environmental standards would be safeguarded.
On 29th August, Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, announced that the UK would scrap rules introduced by the EU to protect waterways from pollution in order to boost housebuilding. The current laws require developers to prove proposals would not cause phosphates and nitrates to seep into protected sites, or alternatively, pay substantial costs in ‘credits’ to offset any identified pollution. As a result, over 100,000 homes have been prevented coming forward in England, with development moratoriums essentially in place at more than 74 Councils.
You would expect any move to resolve the issue would surely be welcomed, particularly by young people, those on housing waiting lists, people trying to secure mortgages, and no doubt, many housebuilders. Nonetheless, the announcement has caused a stir with environmental campaigners labelling the plan ‘an act of lunacy’ and the Royal Society for the Protection Birds (RSPB) describing it ‘a national scandal’.
The reaction is perhaps not surprising as it follows a summer in which UK bathers were advised to avoid the coast as raw sewage was being pumped into local waterways. Given that housebuilding is actually a minor contributor to the Nutrient Neutrality issue and agriculture the main culprit, many developers argue this anger is misplaced and that Gove’s announcement is both sensible and pragmatic.
While the proposal has certainly made the headlines and piqued public attention, it is certainly not a done deal. In order to deliver the new regulations, Government must secure key amendments to the controversial and long-awaited Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill (LURB). Even if LURB does make it across the finish line, we could well be seeing a new administration in place by the time of implementation. As such, the question stands, is this really a solid solution to our housing problem, or a lame duck attempt at playing pass the political parcel?
So far, the opposition benches have indicated acceptance of the proposed new change, with (former) shadow minister Lisa Nandy stating the Labour Party would back any measure to ‘Get Britain Building’. Whether this position is watered down once further detail is released, we will wait to see.
At Iceni, we are hoping for a happy end to this sorry saga which has seen housebuilding ground to a halt in many local communities. We hope a lesson has been learned that better communication and collaboration by all parties is key, and that government simply cannot be asleep at the wheel.
We will be monitoring the LURB as it moves through the House of Lords and hopefully back to Parliament for Royal Ascent. Until then, if you have a site that may be impacted by Nutrient Neutrality and wish to open up its potential, do get in touch.
