Plans for 140k new homes to be built as Michael Gove slashes eco red tape in development drive
UP to 140,000 new homes could be built under radical plans to slash eco bureaucracy, The Sun can reveal.
Ministers want to unleash a house-building drive by relaxing EU red tape.
An edict that any new development must not increase pollution and harm rivers will become discretionary.
The move will be confirmed by Housing Secretary Michael Gove tomorrow.
The rules passed down from Brussels bureaucrats are responsible for blocking 140,000 homes in specific catchment zones from being built each year.
The Sun understands Natural England rules against “nutrient neutrality” will become guidance only.
Town hall chiefs in affected areas will be given new powers over whether to ignore or follow it.
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Meanwhile, property developers may be asked to contribute to a “mitigation fund” to help combat any pollution triggered by a housebuilding revival on greenfield and brownfield land.
Mr Gove plans to table amendments to the Levelling Up Bill to kickstart the plan.
It comes three months after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer vowed to give local authorities more power to build on green land.
Commenting on the plan, ex-Housing Secretary Simon Clarke said: "If confirmed, a welcome victory for common sense."
One housing industry source told The Sun: “We welcome that after four years the government has finally acted on this issue.
“It’s now key that legislation passes through parliament so more desperately needed homes can be built and before any more house builders go out of business.”
Another housing industry source added: “It’s pleasing to see the Government finally taking action on Nutrient Neutrality, which has paralysed housebuilding in various parts of the country.
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“However, it remains to be seen whether this discretionary, and localised, approach will deliver the ‘Big Bang’ on new homes that Ministers think it will.
“Fundamentally, the Government has much more to do if it’s to regain its credibility on housing, economically and electorally."
Tom Nicholson, Senior Advisor at data science platform Outra, said: “The decision to allow new homes to be built in these impacted regions will come as welcome news for anyone living in an area where the housing crisis, which is being exacerbated by red tape and regulations that make it harder for new homes to be delivered, is blocking their ability to buy.
“Our recent data found that just 0.9% of homeowners could repurchase their home now at current interest rates, which underlines the extent of the crisis and the dire need to unblock housebuilding across the country.”
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A Government spokesperson said: "The Government remains committed to delivering housing in areas affected by nutrient neutrality.
"We recognise the urgency of this issue and have taken substantial steps to both unlock housing now and to address the underlying causes of nutrient pollution at source."