Ban on New Residential Development Across 74 UK local planning authorities

[Temp]

Discussion on Farming forum here..

 

https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/biodiversity-offsetting-anyone-done-it.370772/

[ErgoFergo]

Hi all. 

 

I was just reading the following article on Nutrient Neutrality https://www.jdpipes.co.uk/knowledge/industry-news/nutrient-neutrality.html. 

 

This article suggests that in NN mitigation credit schemes, the credits have to be paid for annually. Is this correct? I understood that it would be a one off payment. 

 

This article says an average four bedroom house will cost £10,000 per year to mitigate off-site. 

 

That can't be right, can it? That's financially unsustainable!

 

 

[Mulberry View]

With planning approval in place and just one condition to agree a surface water plan before we can proceed beyond foundation, we have just entered a plan that harvests around 135 sqm of our roof-space into a system that will supply reused water for toilet flushing and machine washing. The rest goes to a soakaway that has been justified in calcs.

 

It'll be interesting to see how the council respond to an application to discharge the condition. Maybe they'll do nothing? Maybe they have enough of a mechanism to let this go through. We have our fingers crossed as that's all that's stopping us. I'm hopeful that at least once it's on their desk, they have to do something, even if it's to keep us informed.

[Temp]

On 06/07/2022 at 17:45, ErgoFergo said:

Hi all. 

 

I was just reading the following article on Nutrient Neutrality https://www.jdpipes.co.uk/knowledge/industry-news/nutrient-neutrality.html. 

 

This article suggests that in NN mitigation credit schemes, the credits have to be paid for annually. Is this correct? I understood that it would be a one off payment. 

 

This article says an average four bedroom house will cost £10,000 per year to mitigate off-site. 

 

That can't be right, can it? That's financially unsustainable!

 

 

 

I think that's probably an error. 

 

 

 

[Chanmenie]

11 hours ago, Mulberry View said:

With planning approval in place and just one condition to agree a surface water plan before we can proceed beyond foundation, we have just entered a plan that harvests around 135 sqm of our roof-space into a system that will supply reused water for toilet flushing and machine washing. The rest goes to a soakaway that has been justified in calcs.

 

It'll be interesting to see how the council respond to an application to discharge the condition. Maybe they'll do nothing? Maybe they have enough of a mechanism to let this go through. We have our fingers crossed as that's all that's stopping us. I'm hopeful that at least once it's on their desk, they have to do something, even if it's to keep us informed.

I was told they cannot currently discharge any drainage conditions, due to some legal issues.

But I wish you luck as I’m in the same boat, please keep us posted.

Edited July 17, 2022 by Chanmenie

[Temp]

I suspect the planners don't want every development to propose their own solution even if that were possible because of the extra work it gives them to check it. They might also be worried about the legal implications if its later found they approved lot of developments with dodgy schemes. 

 

 

[Mulberry View]

My discharge application has been submitted and paid for today, I'll keep you posted.

 

In the meantime, this just came up...

 

https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/housing/norfolk-homes-nutrient-neutrality-breakthrough-hopes-9159928

 

Progress....

[Chanmenie]

2 hours ago, Mulberry View said:

My discharge application has been submitted and paid for today, I'll keep you posted.

 

In the meantime, this just came up...

 

https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/housing/norfolk-homes-nutrient-neutrality-breakthrough-hopes-9159928

 

Progress....

Thanks for update 
 

I’ll think I’ll submit mine next week, might as well get the ball rolling.

[ErgoFergo]

Good luck, @Chanmenie and @Mulberry View. I'll watch with interest. At least if you submit now, you'll be at the head of the queue once they're able to discharge. 

[twice round the block]

Natural England are writing to this group to inform you of emerging evidence which identifies significant recreational pressure on Chilterns Beechwoods Special Area of Conservation (SAC), more specifically Ashridge Commons and Woods Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) component. This advice applies to all Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) which were identified as partly or wholly with the 12.6km Zone of Influence (ZOI) and contribute to more than 2% of visits to the SAC. This relates to the piece of evidence instructed by Dacorum Borough Council and completed by Footprint Ecology, due to be released on 14th March 20221

 

I've been caught up with this one on a site where i had an application in for a new dwelling with in the 12.6km zone

 

This is all because masses of general public had descended on Ashridge during the last two years of the covid period for their exercise as there was a fantastic cafe there.

"The coffee cup walkers" white trainers, designer handbags, smart phone in one hand and coffee cup in the other, that soon got discarded into the nearest undergrowth when empty. Plus the people supposedly working from home used have meetings there along with lovely lunches in the alfresco dinning area. Thanks to them the cafe that employed loads of local staff got closed down and taken back under the management of The National Trust, and now serves the normal dried scone and a tea or coffee

That killed all the visitor numbers overnight, which is great but too late not to stop the planning restrictions now in place. 

Just another delay and on going battle to fight.

joy of joys

[bob the builder 2]

light at the end of the tunnel !

 

Nutrient mitigation scheme can help provide the nature and housing we need - Natural England (blog.gov.uk)

[Temp]

31 minutes ago, bob the builder 2 said:

light at the end of the tunnel !

 

Nutrient mitigation scheme can help provide the nature and housing we need - Natural England (blog.gov.uk)

 

I wonder how long it will take to get running. Statements like these are rather ominous..

 

Quote

 

"Operational details are currently being developed and we’d like to engage with as many as possible to get this right."

 

"As with any new scheme of this scale, there is a lot to work through and we are keen to work closely with local authorities and other partners to identify the best approach to delivering nutrient mitigation in their area."

 

"We will need to consider priorities to ensure that there is a strong enough supply of mitigation where it is most needed. We may need to phase availability to enable this when we launch the scheme in the Autumn."

 

 

 

Does that mean you will have to wait for your area to get a scheme running or could you buy credits in a scheme elsewhere in the country? 

 

Would it be better/faster if the government just required this to be funded by the CIL? That way money could be collected now and construction of houses begin while the mitigation scheme is worked out.

[Paddocks532]

Hi all. I heard good news yesterday and I'm praying it's true.

If Liz Truss becomes pm she will scrap nutrient neutrality as being unfair and unobtainable. Anyone heard any different?

[Mulberry View]

1 hour ago, Paddocks532 said:

Hi all. I heard good news yesterday and I'm praying it's true.

If Liz Truss becomes pm she will scrap nutrient neutrality as being unfair and unobtainable. Anyone heard any different?

 

Yes, read this a few days ago. I don't believe anything politicians say, particularly during an election race, but it'd be good news if it was true.

[SteamyTea]

2 hours ago, Mulberry View said:

don't believe anything politicians say

You can always tell when they are saying porkies, their lips move.

[Mulberry View]

By way of an update, our application to Discharge our Surface Water condition is 2 weeks away from the determination date. Our Local Authority told me yesterday that as things stand right now, they won't be able to determine it, but they are confident of positive news, at least in respect of simple discharges like ours, within the next few weeks. I'll report back as I learn more.

[Chanmenie]

20 hours ago, Mulberry View said:

By way of an update, our application to Discharge our Surface Water condition is 2 weeks away from the determination date. Our Local Authority told me yesterday that as things stand right now, they won't be able to determine it, but they are confident of positive news, at least in respect of simple discharges like ours, within the next few weeks. I'll report back as I learn more.

Fingers crossed for both of us 

[Marvin]

On 01/09/2022 at 07:08, Paddocks532 said:

Hi all. I heard good news yesterday and I'm praying it's true.

If Liz Truss becomes pm she will scrap nutrient neutrality as being unfair and unobtainable. Anyone heard any different?

Sadly unless something is done we will all suffer. Unlike global warming discussions, this is an indisputable problem.

However, penalising the new builds because everyone else got their first doesn't seem right, and I can't see a 'catchment tax' being levied on all homes in the affected catchment area being a vote winner either. So it looks like a central government funding issue... so up go the taxes.... 

[SteamyTea]

6 hours ago, Marvin said:

So it looks like a central government funding issue... so up go the taxes.... 

You already help towards my £50/year water rebates.

Still the most expensive in the country, and probably the world.

[Temp]

I think Liz Truss is going to have much bigger issues to worry about.

 

I think the nutrient issue could be sorted by the CIL. 

[Marvin]

8 hours ago, Temp said:

I think the nutrient issue could be sorted by the CIL. 

Well that would be interesting because house selfbuilders can apply for exemption.

[Temp]

5 hours ago, Marvin said:

Well that would be interesting because house selfbuilders can apply for exemption.

 

Either that or water bills. Part of your existing bill is to remove "other things" from sewage. Why not nutrients?

 

Edit: I know it's technically difficult to remove rather than mitigate so initially it might just be a means of collecting money to fund mitigation.  

Edited September 3, 2022 by Temp

[Marvin]

1 hour ago, Temp said:

 

Either that or water bills. Part of your existing bill is to remove "other things" from sewage. Why not nutrients?

 

Edit: I know it's technically difficult to remove rather than mitigate so initially it might just be a means of collecting money to fund mitigation.  

Tricky one.... how are they going to incentivise farmers to use less nitrites?

[bob the builder 2]

I wonder if the budget will bring an end to the Nitrate madness ?

 

Bob 

[Mulberry View]

2 hours ago, bob the builder 2 said:

I wonder if the budget will bring an end to the Nitrate madness ?

 

Bob 

 

Well, Liz truss apparently said before she was elected that if she was successful, she would quash it.

 

https://www.housingtoday.co.uk/news/truss-vows-to-ditch-nutrient-neutrality-rules/5118915.article