In the budget report, the government said that high levels of nutrient pollution were “stalling housing delivery” across 74 local planning authorities.
The report continued that this was a “major barrier” to the government’s ambition of delivering 300,000 homes per year.
Nutrient neutrality is when new residential developments can only occur if the nutrient load, such as additional phosphates and nitrates, created through additional wastewater from a development is mitigated.
Nutrient neutrality became a requirement in March last year for new residential developments in and around designated protected areas. Councils were told that no new permissions would be granted unless development could secure nutrient neutrality or prove they were exempt.
The budget report said that the government had “provided significant support” to support protected sites affected and to address pollution at the source and support housing developers to meet their obligations.
However, it said that it would offer “further support” so nutrient neutrality obligations could be met and reduce risk for developers building homes in impacted areas.
It added that the Department for Levelling Up would also launch a call for evidence from local planning authorities.
The report continued that the Department would commit to “provide funding for high quality, locally-led nutrient mitigation schemes”.
Mitigation schemes can include constructing wetlands, changes in land management or retrofitting urban drainage systems, as well as moving to “low nutrient loading systems” like the creation of new wetlands, woodlands or grasslands.
