Natural England to approach landowners for sites suitable for nutrient mitigation

Natural England will from December approach landowners to invite them to offer land as potential sites for nutrient mitigation.

This is expected to provide the mitigation sites needed by local authorities and developers where building had been put on hold because of nutrient pollution, Natural England said.

It said the process would later expand across the country “to facilitate building thousands of new homes as well as making a major contribution to nature recovery through the creation of new wetlands”.

Government-backed credits will be offered in batches which any developer can apply for, with allocations prioritised to minimise nutrient neutrality related delays to development where demand exceeds supply.

Disputes over nitrates began in 2019 when Natural England said a ruling in the Netherlands on the interpretation of the Habitats Directive meant it had to take a more cautious approach than before when advising on assessments under the directive for residential development. Its concern is that wastewater from new homes will pollute habitats.

In a blog post explaining the scheme, Natural England's programme director for sustainable development, Mike Burke, said: “Natural England and Government are working with local planning authorities to ensure that wastewater produced by new homes does not increase pollution in our rivers and coasts, in line with regulatory requirements, whilst also allowing swifter decisions that enable the building of the homes the country needs.”

Mr Burke said the concept of nutrient neutrality would ensure that any increase in pollution is offset by a reduction through measures that could include the creation of new wetlands or woodlands to capture nutrient pollution.

He said 74 of 333 local authorities in England were affected and developments in these would need mitigation measures.

The first projects are being negotiated with two unnamed partners in the River Tees catchment, Mr Burke said, with investment in progress for feasibility studies in five further catchments.

But the credit scheme will not meet the known demand for mitigation in all locations right away and developers and councils “will need to continue to explore all existing mechanisms to reduce nutrient loads”, he said.

Mark Smulian