Government set to scrap nutrient neutrality rules

The housebuilding industry has welcomed the government’s plan to scrap nutrient neutrality rules that have been holding up the construction of thousands of new homes.

Calling the EU nutrient neutrality rules “defective”, the government said it would amend the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill to “do away with this red tape and allow for the delivery of more than 100,000 new homes”.

Housing secretary Michael Gove said: “We are committed to building the homes this country needs and to enhancing our environment. The way EU rules have been applied has held us back. These changes will provide a multi-billion pound boost for the UK economy and see us build more than 100,000 new homes.”

The government says it will be doubling its investment in Natural England’s Nutrient Mitigation Scheme to £280 million to offset “the very small amount” of nutrient discharge that the 100,000 new homes will generate. It wants larger developers to “make an appropriate and fair contribution to this scheme over the coming years, and is discussing the right structure and approach with the Home Builders Federation.”

HBF executive chairman Stewart Baseley said that the “very welcome” announcement “has the potential to unlock housing delivery …