Remove nutrient neutrality from planning – Housing Forum

The planning system is not “working as well as it should be”, according to the Housing Forum, with the cross-sector housing body calling for the government to remove nutrient neutrality matters from planning.

The Housing Forum’s report, Streamlining planning to build more homes, gives a roadmap to improving the planning system. It offers solutions to “the planning crisis” in three areas – under “Reducing burdens and improving efficiency,” it states that nutrient neutrality should not be dealt with through the planning system. “This is because there are other agencies which are tasked with dealing with it,” the Housing Forum explained in the report.

It said that for the time being, local authorities should allow “as much flexibility as possible” over nutrients, working closely with developers to reach mitigation solutions. The housing body also called for “similar leadership” with water neutrality issues to make sure new homes were built in badly needed areas.

Also on improving the efficiency of the planning system, the report stated that those submitting large applications should receive “good and insightful” pre-planning advice.

The Housing Forum said the planning system was one of the main barriers to “more ambitious housebuilding”. It noted that …