A proposal intended to ease construction of up to 15,780 homes in Norfolk has drawn a call for watchdog intervention from Labour MP Chris Hinchliff over its handling of nutrient pollution.
Natural England’s draft Environmental Delivery Plan (EDP) would give developers a route through nutrient-related planning requirements by charging a proposed £2,675 levy per home. The levy could raise about £42 million if every home at the plan’s maximum capacity paid it. The government says the proceeds would be reserved for conservation, monitoring and maintenance.
The proposal is the first under the government’s Nature Restoration Fund. The government says pooling developers’ payments would support larger river and wetland projects while allowing housing to proceed. Developers would bear the levy cost. The 15,780-home figure is an upper limit across the covered Norfolk area, not a count of approved homes.
The Guardian reported that Hinchliff wrote to Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) chief executive Natalie Prosser seeking intervention. He argued that the draft fails to meet the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 and rests on inadequate science.
By Hinchliff’s reading of Natural England’s figures, about 83% of the additional nitrogen and up to 61% of the additional phosphorus would still reach the water under the proposed measures. The Guardian reported that he also criticized the absence of septic tank upgrades and riverside buffer strips.
Natural England’s Bradley Tooze defended the proposal, pointing to river and wetland projects as ways to improve habitats alongside new construction, The Guardian reported. A government spokesperson told the newspaper that a panel including independent experts had examined the evidence behind the draft.
The public consultation closes Oct. 27. Natural England will consider the responses before submitting a final plan to the secretary of state.
