SEPTEMBER 26 2021 – NATURAL ENGLAND AND “UK HOUSE BUILDING SCHEMES HELD UP BY WATER POLLUTION CONCERNS” – FINANCIAL TIMES

 

UK home building schemes held up by water pollution concern

Delays to construction of tens of thousands of sites threatens government housing targets…As many as 40,000 new homes are being delayed because developers say they are struggling to meet UK environmental regulations, posing a threat to government targets on addressing housing shortages.

Developers have been barred from moving ahead on a number of building sites in England because of fears that construction will add to the level of nitrates and phosphates in waterways. At high concentrations, these nutrients cause excess algae to grow, depleting oxygen in the water and stifling other aquatic life…

Rules to protect habitats when houses are being built have existed for decades, but the nitrates and phosphates problem highlights the tension between two central planks of the government’s agenda: a pledge to “build, build, build” and ambitious environmental targets…

Developers are being asked to comply with increasingly tough rules with the ultimate aim of building with “net zero” carbon emissions. Such measures are essential if the UK, which is hosting the COP26 international climate summit in November, is to meet its emissions targets. But this will mean additional costs for builders…

Those additional costs could make building in areas with low house prices less viable, according to two major housebuilders, undermining the government’s promise to build more and “level up” less well-off parts of England. “We urge local authorities to continue to work with Natural England to ensure development proposals do not adversely affect the environment and protected areas, and to take measures which mitigate damage and improve the quality of our rivers for people and nature,” said Mike Burke, head of sustainable development at Natural England.