Changes to the River Eden Nutrient Neutrality catchment

Nutrient Neutrality rules oblige local authorities to ensure that new developments do not bring about a net increase in pollutants entering protected river systems, such as the River Eden. 

Natural England has made this change to release around 50 housebuilding planning applications, said to be stalled as a result of Nutrient Neutrality requirements. They say this is due to 'improving environmental conditions, ' something we have yet to observe. This loosening has happened now, based on improvements by United Utilities that have not yet happened. 

Our CEO has responded to this news with an open letter:

"I have never been completely convinced by the nutrient neutrality regulation to address the problem of too much nutrient in water courses (a huge source of water pollution), but it did at least put in place accountability for the environmental impact that domestic waste has on the environment. 

But overnight, the area of the Eden catchment falling under this regulation has been drastically reduced. From Lazonby, downstream through Carlisle to the Solway Firth,  there’s apparently no longer any need to take action to remove the nutrient load in wastewater that will result from all the loos, showers, dishwashers, washing machines in the new houses planned for the Lower Eden. A green light to build without any action to even maintain (let alone improve) the current levels of nutrient pollution.   

Why? According to Natural England, new calculations made on the  ‘best scientific data available’ [sic] indicate that when wastewater treatment works are upgraded within the next five years, this will solve the problem. Effectively, permission has been granted to increase wastewater discharges from new developments now, based on future as yet uncompleted upgrades. These data have not yet been published.

This is not a solution. It’s looking like a Natural England-sanctioned loophole.

I sympathise with those desperate for affordable housing; they work in my office as well as yours.  I sincerely hope the houses actually built reflect the promises made, and that they are safe from what our future climate will bring. But we will eventually pay the environmental price of this decision and all those like it; our water quality will decrease, our wildlife will decline, our children will get sick when they play in the river, sedimentation will increase, drains will block, subsequent flooding will scare us and make us rage. And finally,  when the wastewater treatment upgrade programme falters, as it’s bound to, because it’s impossible to fix 40-years of under-investment in five, we can look at the 500 (if you’re lucky) affordable homes built on the floodplains of Eden and be proud of the political trade-off we accepted in 2026.

Elizabeth Radford, Chief Executive, Eden Rivers Trust.