Britain | River pollution and housing

Britain will ease some environmental rules for housebuilders

Builders will cheer, but conservationists are worried 

Image: Alamy

FOUR YEARS ago Natural England, a body that gives advice on nature conservation, warned local authorities in the catchment of the Solent river basin in southern England about pollution. Excessive nutrients in rivers were causing “dense mats of green algae” that damage protected areas and birds. To prevent further harm, it said, any new housing development had to achieve “nutrient neutrality”. By March 2022 that legally binding stipulation had been extended to 27 protected river catchments covering 74 local authorities and 14% of the land area in England.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Bricks and water”

From the September 9th 2023 edition

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