Industry stakeholders welcome the announcement
The UK government has announced plans to do away with certain legacy EU laws to allow for the delivery of more than 100,000 new homes desperately needed by local communities.
The current EU regulations have required Natural England to issue guidance to 62 local authority areas that new development must be ‘nutrient neutral’ in their area, including Somerset, Norfolk, Teesside, Kent, Wiltshire, and the Solent. This, the government claims, has blocked or delayed new development, including around a large number of homes that already have planning permission.
Through an amendment to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, Natural England will be allowed greater freedom to develop catchment-specific solutions to the causes of nutrient pollution in partnership with each community, supported by government and private investment.
As a result, over 100,000 homes held up due to the regulations are expected to be unblocked between now and 2030, delivering an estimated £18 billion boost to the UK economy.
“We are committed to building the homes this country needs and to enhancing our environment. The way EU rules have been applied has held us back,” stated Michael Gove, secretary of state for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
“These changes will provide a multi-billion-pound boost for the UK economy and see us build more than 100,000 new homes. We will work closely with environmental agencies and councils as we deliver these changes.”
Sam Rees, senior public affairs officer at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), said it welcomed greater clarity, which the amendment in the Levelling-Up Bill provided.
“This should help tackle planning backlogs – something RICS members have repeatedly referenced as a barrier in creating new homes,” Rees added. “Overcoming these existing bottlenecks is crucial for meeting housebuilding targets, although we recognise that this cannot come at the detriment of the environment.
“The UK needs further investment towards mitigation and treatment works in our waterways, as well as a push to build greener, more energy-efficient homes that significantly limits resulting pollution.”
Stewart Baseley, executive chairman of the Home Builders Federation, also welcomed the government announcement, recognising the potential to unlock housing delivery across the country.
“The industry is eager to play its part in delivering mitigation and protecting our waterways,” Baseley said. “We look forward to engaging with government on the right way to do so, now that ministers are acting upon the arguments that builders both large and small have been making for so long.
“With some areas having been blighted for four years, the prospect of a swift resolution will be much-needed good news for companies on the verge of going out of business, their employees and for households most affected by housing affordability pressures. 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.”
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