Phosphate Nutrient Credit Scheme 'welcome news' for house building in Somerset
More new homes could be built with the purchase of credits helping to mitigate the negative impact of phosphate emissions
The approval of a credit scheme for phosphates has been hailed as 'welcome news' for the construction of new homes in Somerset.
The local authority have given the green light to the Phosphate Nutrient Credit Scheme for the catchment of the River Brue, which allows developers and investors to buy credits to offset the negative impact of emissions from construction projects.
It's in line with similar mitigation schemes across the unitary area.
The news could potentially enable developers to re-start residential housing projects and other schemes in the region which have been put on hold because of the high level of phosphates in the water courses.
The requirement to demonstrate proposed developments will be phosphate neutral follows advice from Natural England in August 2020.
The advice saw the need for a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) and an Appropriate Assessment on individual projects before planning applications were even put forward on the Somerset Levels and the Moors Ramsar sites.
The scheme in Somerset’s East area involves the removal of livestock from buildings at a farm in Prestleigh, Shepton Mallet, replacing the buildings with woodland - if planning permission for an alternative use is not approved.
This would generate 142.7kg of phosphate mitigation credits – sufficient for around 1,400 homes.
Cllr Ros Wyke – Lead Member for Prosperity Assets and Development, said: “Somerset Council is working hard to minimise delay and uncertainty around planning applications with a county-wide nutrient strategy to identify both short term solutions to help clear the current backlog of planning permissions and longer-term solutions to address the existing and future growth commitments.
"The phosphates issue has prevented the determination of a significant number of planning applications across the county while solutions are being sought so this Nutrient Credit Scheme is extremely welcome news.”
You can find out more about on Somerset Council's work on phosphates on their website.