<p>The government’s plans to scrap nutrient neutrality rules to unblock thousands of new homes have been defeated at the House of Lords.</p> <p>Last month, <a href="http://www.house-builder.co.uk/news/govt-reveals-further-detail-nutrient-changes">ministers proposed amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill (LURB)</a>, including changing the Habitats Regulations and removing the need for local authorities to consider the impact of nutrient pollution in most planning applications. But a coalition of Conservatives, Labour and other parties blocked the proposals yesterday (September 13) at the LURB’s Report stage at the House of Lords.</p> <p>Yesterday, new shadow housing secretary Angela Rayner and shadow environment secretary Steve Reed stated that they would oppose the government's amendments in a <i>Times </i>Red Box article.</p> <p>They wrote: “The Conservatives are being thoroughly disingenuous in suggesting that the only way we can build the homes we need in river catchment areas is by weakening environmental law. No one should fall for it.”</p> <p>After the government announced it would scrap nutrient stipulations, a group of Conservative peers, led by the Duke of Wellington, proposed new amendments to override the government’s proposals. These reinstated the requirement for councils to assume that nutrients in wastewater will harm the environment. </p> <p>The first of the government amendments was defeated …