Waterways pollution rule looks set to be scrapped so 100,000 homes can be built

A statement from Michael Gove, Secretary of State for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, says: “Nutrients entering our rivers are a real problem but the contribution made by new homes is very small. These laws which originate from Brussels put a block on new homes in certain areas taking away control over what is built, and when, from local people. Through an amendment to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, the Government will do away with this red tape.”

Environmental campaigners disagree but it is expected that developers could begin construction on the previously protected sites in a matter of months. The DLUHC says that the move comes alongside new environmental measures that will “tackle pollution at source and restore habitats”.

This includes expanding investment in and evolving the Nutrient Mitigation Scheme run by Natural England, doubling investment to £280m to ensure it is sufficient to offset the additional nutrient discharge from homes.

It adds that Natural England will work with local authorities, the private sector and others to tackle nutrient pollution and work towards the long term health and resilience of the river systems.

The Government intends to work with the house building industry to ensure that larger developers make a contribution to the scheme over the coming years and will then accelerate work on full site restoration through further work on new Protected Site Strategies, which Natural England will draw up in partnership with local communities to set protected sites on the path to recovery in the most affected catchments with the highest housing demand.

However, the plan has been met with outrage from environmental campaigners and also from the Labour Party, which says that the government is “failing on both housing and the environment", while the Wildlife Trust says that it will lead to more sewage in our rivers. Campaigner Feargal Sharkey says the plan is "a complete and utter shambles".

Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Thérèse Coffey said: “We are going to tackle the key causes of nutrients at source with over £200 million of funding to reduce run off from agriculture and plans to upgrade waste water treatment works through conventional upgrades, catchment approaches and nature-based solutions.” Time will tell whether it works or not.

Executive Chairman of the Home Builders Federation, Stewart Baseley added: “Today’s very welcome announcement has the potential to unlock housing delivery across the country, from Cornwall to the Tees Valley, where housebuilding has been blocked despite wide acknowledgement that occupants of new homes are responsible for only a tiny fraction of the wastewater finding its ways into rivers and streams.

“Builders will be able to bring forward otherwise stalled investment in communities and get spades in the ground so we need Parliament to get this solution onto the statute book.”