A moratorium on planning applications across Hampshire was put in place last year after Natural England raised the alarm about nitrates leaking into the Solent and stepped in.
Nitrate pollution comes from various sources, including farming, but new occupied dwellings add to the pressures through the waste water generated.
But planning has now been approved, subject to a section 106 agreement, for construction of an extra care scheme in Gosport, Hampshire, after developer Morgan Sindall Later Living and Hampshire County Council were able to secure the first approval from Natural England for a tap-led solution to prevent nitrate pollution.
Planning approval for the Addenbrooke Extra Care scheme in Gosport has been on hold since 2019, following Natural England’s advice to planning authorities to reject any planning applications that could not achieve nitrate neutrality.
Working with Natural England and consultants Asbri Planning, Morgan Sindall Later Living and Hampshire County Council created a water saving solution by working with an existing care home in the area to limit its nitrate waste.
The new extra care facility, named Addenbrooke after the former care home on the same site, will have 60 individual apartments for the over 55s, all of which will be affordable housing. Places for People Living+ will be the operator of the completed development.
Laurence Basturkmen, director of Morgan Sindall Later Living, said: “We are excited to be able to move forward with this scheme after a lot of hard work behind the scenes to make sure the site is safe and nitrate neutral. We are proud to have worked closely with Hampshire County Council to create a tap-led solution to the nitrate problem, which has also allowed us to save 3,000 litres of water per day through the installation of flow regulators.
“Multiple development sites across the area have been affected by this problem and we hope that we have proven that with joined up thinking and hard work, it is possible to find a solution.”
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
