Rules to curb river pollution put brake on housebuilding targets

NEW environmental regulations would stop thousands of homes from being built in England, research has suggested.

Analysis of housebuilding patterns by the Local Government Association (LGA) shows that seven per cent of new homes built over the past three years would now not be permitted under rules issued by Natural England, a government quango. In March, Natural England told councils that housing projects should be prohibited in areas where they will add pollution to rivers that already have high levels of nutrients, which lead to algae choking rivers and killing wildlife.

Councils said the rules were “frustrating”, with many under pressure to reach an ambitious government building target for England of 300,000 homes per year by the mid-2020s.

Water companies’ sewage treatment works are overflowing into rivers and the sea on a regular basis and the restrictions have been introduced because a growth in local population adds more pressure to the system, with extra waste water from new homes flowing into mixed sewage and rainwater systems.

Analysis carried out for the LGA by researchers Built place found that in 23 English council districts, more than 90 per cent of likely house building areas are affected by the new guidance, with a total 15,668 homes built on average over the past few years in these areas.

Almost 10,000 of these new homes were in the south east and south west, though the north east has the largest proportion of homes affected.

The poor state of Britain’s rivers has prompted a row between water companies, who want reforms to the rules which give developers the automatic right to connect new homes to sewers, and councils, who say necessary house building is being limited by problems caused by water systems and farming.

Councils and housebuilders have also criticised the lack of joined-up thinking between Natural England rules designed to protect the environment and the 300,000 homes a year target set by the Department for Levelling Up.

Last month Michael Gove, who became Levelling Up Secretary in September, said it was “no kind of success simply to hit a target if the homes are shoddy, in the wrong place, don’t have the infrastructure required and are not contributing to beautiful communities.”

David Renard, the LGA’S environment spokesman, said: “Councils want safe, clean, thriving natural environments alongside the sustainable development of housing, growth and jobs.

“It is concerning and frustrating that pollution levels in some rivers have reached a point to trigger bans on building around 20,000 new homes each year, over seven per cent of all England’s likely new house building.

“People need homes, schools and doctors’ surgeries, and people also need a safe and clean environment.”