Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to developers of nutrient neutrality credits; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of this on housing supply in impacted catchment areas.

Through the Local Nutrient Mitigation Fund, the government has provided £110m in direct grant funding to local planning authorities to deliver high quality, locally led nutrient mitigation schemes. This funding is distinct from the £30m provided to Natural England to fund the Nutrient Mitigation Scheme.

The Local Nutrient Mitigation Fund will be recycled locally until nutrient mitigation is no longer needed, at which point it will be used for measures to help restore the relevant Habitats sites. This will enable sustainable development, unlocking stalled housing delivery whilst delivering benefits like enhanced public access to nature and supporting our commitment to leave our environment in a better state than we found it.

The cost of credits – either through the LNMF or private providers – will vary by area depending on factors such as the cost of land and the cost of delivery relevant mitigation measures.