Nutrient Neutrality in East Kent Building Block Explained Simply

East Kent faces a building block. A moratorium stopped many new homes. The government wants to boost building. Solving water pollution is vital.

Kent needs more houses, says the government. Pollution harms the Stodmarsh nature reserve. Nitrogen and phosphorus hurt water quality. Wildlife suffers due to these pollutants.

Natural England stopped building in 2020. This ban covered parts of east Kent. Canterbury and Ashford are most affected. Swale, Maidstone, and Folkestone are also impacted.

Over 7,000 homes are now delayed. The issue is very complex though. Solutions today are often limited. New laws could help restart building.

Stodmarsh pollution slows home construction. The River Stour flows near Stodmarsh. This area has special protection status. It protects important wildlife.

Too much nitrogen impacts waterways. It creates algae blooms. Blooms reduce oxygen and kill fish. Sunlight also gets blocked from plants. Natural areas get damaged by this.

Natural England then paused new building. This affected wastewater treatment works. These works release into the Stour Valley. Other areas had similar building halts.

This has big consequences for the region. Ashford, Canterbury, and neighbors are affected. Folkestone, Swale, and Maidstone feel the impact too. Farming is a pollution cause, but housing construction is stopped.

Who causes the water pollution? This question sparked much debate. Developers blame other sources basically. Agriculture is a primary cause, actually.

The EU states farming causes water pollution. Fertilizers pollute the water. Manure also adds to this problem. Water treatment also needs upgrades.

Home builders say they contribute little. Occupants of new homes add under 1%. This is negligible, they suggest. Agriculture causes the bigger amount. Sewage infrastructure needs updating too.

The lack of action was predictable. Developers struggled with this issue. A developer stated they knew the issues. Government, agencies, and water firms needed action. They should’ve fixed the degrading water issues.

Water firms need better treatment plants. These plant upgrades will not be ready until 2030. Solving this pollution problem is very hard. Can no one build homes there at all?

Building can happen with mitigation first. Developers must offset pollution. This means action within the area. Developers achieve nutrient neutrality this way. If building adds pollution, they must offset.

This means creating thriving nature areas, you see. Think of it like balancing a scale truly. Pollution needs balancing. Protect nature to do this. Credits balance the pollution now. Building can happen when balanced this way. A nearby wetland area helps offset pollution too.

How do credits even generate? What are the credit costs even? Things are becoming a bit complex indeed. Credits can come from new meadows. Farmland can turn back to nature.

Natural England says one credit equals one kilogram. Each mitigation costs a different amount always. Creating new wetlands isn’t easy overall. Land purchase needs to happen too, of course. Permission is needed to make a wetland. Wetlands can’t become housing later.

Contracts protect wetlands for long-term use. These wetlands must protect for the future. Contracts must last 80 to 120 years. All this adds to the price greatly. Developers also buy build land and then get permission. This becomes another heavy burden, correct?

Other steps generate credits anyway. Efficiency can get added to homes. Septic tanks can also get improved. Farming can also be native habitat. Floodplains get turned into meadows. Then credits can sell to the buyers.

Housebuilding is stalled for five years truly. A credit bank seems required, however. A central credit system should be ready. That’s not what actually happens, though. Credits sell on the open market actually. Prices shift, and there are only few finally. Many homes are stalled across the UK though. Ashford and Canterbury created Stour Credits.

SEC Ltd aims to create credits, truly. They will sell to the developers. This should pass the tests of agencies. Housing can then be created, truly. Local councils must meet targets always.

Nutrients hinder their plans actually. SEC is a joint venture of two councils. SEC hopes to sell credits this summer usually. Credits aid developers in getting permission too. Credit prices depend on demand however.

Wetland projects can cost more actually. Mitigation costs are then offset with credits actually. Then credits would become one price finally. The prior government set up a nutrient scheme. Kent County Council got £9.8 million. The new government gave more funding too.

Councils gain cash from this funding truly. KCC gives funds to local councils fully. They decide which action to take though. The fund backs the projects that work often.

SEC aims to sell credits to developers overall. This cash then aids more mitigation in time. Government plans will tackle the issue. This helps the construction sector greatly too currently.

The government seeks solution quickly now truly. They created the Infrastructure Bill later. Developers pay into a nature fund later. This simplifies environmental action now. The fund is called Nature Restoration Fund. Developers help nature in each area always.

More details about the plan lack though. The construction industry awaits progress still. A Kent Nature Fund could arise later. Mitigation outside the area could happen really. Relief comes as something appears soon. The process avoids complication too.

Developers can pay a tax here overall. This could get building really moving now. Tax levels cannot be set too high though. The Infrastructure Bill assists nature efforts in time. For developers this issue can get sore.

Costs impact viability and housing amounts later. This impacts sites with permission, yes. East Kent lacks mitigation currently always. The Conningbrook Wetlands have a unique amount. They assist other developers with these needs. Good progress occurs yet truly. But still a credit bank is years away here.

SEC tracks developments quite slowly too always. It could replace it later, you see. House building cannot wait longer fully soon. Construction needs action. People need homes. Also, changes to laws will take time completely. Thus something should happen soon finally.