Natural England has launched its nutrient mitigation scheme for developers in the Tees and Cleveland Coast catchment.
House-builders in this area can now apply to pay money to offset the damage they do to watercourses. Their money will now go to clean up rivers they pollute; instead it goes to creating new wildlife habitats, such as wetlands.
Natural England has invested in land that it hopes will provide the first credits in the Tees catchment to unlock up to 1,600 homes this year.
The government acknowledges that polluting nitrate and phosphate nutrients come from a range of sources including sewage treatment works, septic tanks, livestock, arable farming and industrial processes. However, it is house-builders that have been particularly targeted.
An intervention by Natural England, demanding ‘nutrient neutrality’ has effectively blocked the construction of an estimated 120,000 homes in river catchment areas, according to the Home Builders Federation (HBF).
More than 20,000 planned new homes in the Tees and Cleveland Coast catchment have stalled in the planning process because of their inability to demonstrate nutrient neutrality. With the credit scheme now coming forward, they can pay their way out of the bind
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) announced the creation of a nutrient mitigation scheme to be established by Natural England in July 2022. It has taken until now for the first region’s scheme to come to fruition.
Natural England chief executive Marian Spain said: “Our wetlands and estuaries provide huge benefits to people as places for recreation and to enjoy wildlife. But these precious places are being seriously damaged by pollution.
“If we are to see nature recovery in action, we must first protect these internationally renowned places. Our new mitigation scheme will help improve our natural environment and allow the houses we need to be built.”
Environment minister Rebecca Pow said: “Nutrient pollution can harm wildlife in our waterways and poses a real threat to our protected sites for nature.
“This scheme will facilitate the delivery of hundreds of new homes in the Tees area and more across the country - and promote access to green space, and make a major contribution to nature recovery.”
With the Teesside scheme now live, work is continuing to identify the next sites suitable for mitigation projects with efforts focussed on areas with the highest housing needs, including in The Broads, River Wensum and Stodmarsh catchments, the government says. It is hoped that this will unlock development of new housing in other parts of the country and help to drive nature recovery in areas where there are high levels of nitrate and phosphate pollution.
In the spring budget 2023, the government announced it will soon publish a call for evidence from affected local authorities on local mitigation project opportunities.
Credits in the Tees and Cleveland Coast catchment will be applied for in rounds. The next two rounds are due to open in July and October 2023, followed by a further opening in 2024.
Guidance on how to apply for credits and an application form can be found on gov.uk.
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