On 29th August, the Government tabled amendment 247YYA ahead of the final debates on Lords report stage of the Levelling Up Regeneration Bill. The amendment seeks to remove legal controls on nutrient pollution in rivers and to transfer the costs of attempted mitigation from polluters to the public. If passed it will regress environmental protections and undermine good administration.
The Institute has joined with other environmental organisations and charities to express its deep concerns with the proposed amendments which would weaken the nutrient neutrality requirements for building new developments.
We support the letters to government from the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) and Wildlife and Countryside Link (WCL), and are joint signatories on a letter from the the Environmental Policy Forum (EPF) to Michael Gove and Thérèse Coffey.
The letters and supporting documents can be read below
Levelling_Up_Bill_Briefing_Nutrient_pollution_06.09.23Download
WCL Letter to Michael Gove and Therese Coffey on nutrient neutralityDownload
OEP Letter-of-advice-in-respect-of-the-Levelling-Up-and-Regeneration-BillDownload
EPF Letter to Government Download
The government response to the OEP letter can be read below
OEP Nutrients Amendment Response Letter from SOSsDownload
13/9/23 Bill defeated in the Lords
Peers say no to scrapping Nutrient Neutrality!
Lords from across the chamber have rejected the government’s attempt to row back on its commitments to keeping our rivers clean and free from harmful chemicals in the Levelling Up Bill
This is a BIG win for Britain’s rivers but it’s clear it didn’t need to come to this point.
This vote should serve as a wake-up call for the Government that people won’t stand for a watering down of environmental commitments.
You can read the full story on the BBC website here
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66804160