The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) is being urged to intervene in planning rules that could allow almost 16,000 new homes in the Norfolk Broads, a protected area. Labour MP Chris Hinchliff has called on the OEP to stop the approval of the plan, which he states is in breach of the government's Planning and Infrastructure Act.
The Environmental Delivery Plan (EDP) for the Norfolk Broads, the first of its kind, would allow 15,780 new homes if developers pay £2,675 per house into a central nature restoration fund, totalling £42 million. Natural England, the government's nature adviser and creator of the plan, states the development will cause environmental harm, including physical, chemical, hydrological, and biological damage to habitats and rare species due to increased nitrogen and phosphorus pollution.
Hinchliff, the Labour MP for North East Hertfordshire, argues the plan is not based on the best available science and does not adequately address pollution. He stated in a letter to Natalie Prosser, the chief executive of the OEP, that the conservation measures funded by the plan would leave a significant amount of extra nitrogen and phosphorus entering the water annually and permanently. The Norfolk Broads are already in ecological decline and require substantial cuts in nutrient pollution to recover.
Ministers state that EDPs are necessary to facilitate growth and achieve a target of building 1.5 million new homes by the end of this parliament, describing them as a "win-win" for nature and economic growth. A government spokesperson said the plan aims to protect and boost the natural environment, is based on the latest evidence, and has been scrutinised by a scientific panel.