Labour to oppose Gove’s nutrients reform plan

Labour has said it will oppose Michael Gove’s “reckless” plans to tackle the nutrient neutrality crisis affecting the housebuilding industry, raising the prospects of a defeat for the government in the House of Lords today.

The new shadow housing secretary Angela Rayner said that she agreed reform was needed and that the “status quo was not an option” but that the government’s plans went too far in weakening environmental protections.

Labour said it will table its own amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill designed to solve the problem but will vote against the government’s plans if these do not secure government backing.

The housebuilding industry says the crisis is holding up construction of up to 150,000 homes in the planning pipeline.

The government at the end of August published proposals which would amend the law by telling councils to ignore evidence of environmental harm to protected sites when taking planning decisions.

The government argued that its plans would improve environmental outcomes overall, because they were accompanied by an £140m increase to funding for nutrient pollution mitigation measures and £200m of grants to farmers to improve agricultural infrastructure, and free up construction of 100,000 homes.

The news came as the Home Builders Federation (HBF) published research finding that housebuilders have contributed over £1bn to water companies to improve water infrastructure over the past three years.

The HBF said the figure included £427m in developer payments for Infrastructure Charges and connection fees, and more than £600m in new assets added to water company balance sheets such as new pipes from which the firms will ultimately derive a long-term income stream.

The HBF is calling on peers to back the government’s proposals in today’s vote on the amendments.

Stewart Baseley, executive chairman of HBF said; “Despite the fact that new homes make a negligible contribution to the nutrients issue, around 150,000 homes across the country remain on hold.

“Whilst doing nothing to reduce the disgraceful pollution of our rivers the ban is deepening our housing crisis, reducing economic activity and costing jobs. After four years we need to see politicians delivering a solution to address this damaging ban so desperately needed homes can be built.”