Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with local authorities bordering the Solent where housebuilding is constrained by international obligations on nitrates; and if he will make a statement.
The Secretary of State has met with representatives of local authorities affected by the nitrates issue in the South Hampshire area. The Government understands the importance of this issue and the very real effects it is having on house building and the local economy.
Officials across MHCLG, Defra and its agencies are working together and liaising with the affected authorities and house builders to identify and implement measures to address the problem. The underlying issues cannot be solved through the planning system, but instead require action on agricultural pollution and wastewater treatment to help tackle the problem of nitrates pollution at source and enable more development to proceed.