The Problem
Too much Phosphorus and Nitrogen in our water environments can cause problems such as algal blooms and reduced levels of oxygen. This can affect all parts of the food chain and has a detrimental impact on protected species. Keeping the right nutrient balance is vital to protect these waters, the creatures living in them, and the overall health of our environment. This issue is particularly important in Norfolk, with its protected sites including the Broads and Wensum Special Areas of Conservation.
In 2022, Natural England advised local authorities that new development within the Broads and Wensum catchments has the potential to cause adverse impacts with regard to nutrient pollution. The Conservation of Species and Habitats Regulations 2017 require local planning authorities to ensure that new development does not cause adverse impacts to protected habitats such as the Broads prior to granting planning permission. This affects development within the catchments of the Rivers Wensum, Yare, Bure, Ant, Thurne and the Trinity Broads.
The Solution
Housebuilders are now able to buy credits to offset the effects of Phosphorus and Nitrogen arising from their development, these are generated by activity to reduce the nutrient loading at a point upstream from the effects of development. The Nutrient Mitigation Fund exists to provide financial to support landowners and others delivering activity to mitigate nutrient discharge within the catchment.
How much funding is available?
Following a successful bid to the Government, Broadland District Council (on behalf of Norfolk authorities) now has funding available to support nutrient mitigation projects.
The background to establishing the fund is set out in the report to Broadland District Council.
- £400,000 is available to support feasibility works to speed up project development.
- £18.45m is available to help deliver nutrient mitigation projects.
You can apply for either feasibility or capital funding, or both.
Key requirements
To apply for funding your project needs to be in either the Broads catchments or Wensum catchments. Your project also needs to be in an area where nutrient mitigation is needed. In the Yare anywhere in the catchment will suffice. In the Wensum the mitigation needs to be upstream of the housing development.
We are mainly interested in permanent solutions, those that can be secured for at least 80 years. However, temporary or bridging solutions will also be considered. Your project should provide ideally phosphorus and nitrogen mitigation.
The focus is on solutions that will provide nutrient mitigation for many homes, if you are a single homeowner with a septic tank for example then there may be a local project you can join.
What type of projects are we looking for?
A report commission from Royal Haskoning highlights that some projects will have more scientific evidence of their impact and therefore greater likelihood they would be acceptable to statutory agencies such as Natural England, local planning authorities and the Environment Agency. These are:
Nature based solutions
- Riparian buffers
- Integrated constructed wetlands
Run off management solutions
- Conversion of agricultural land to other uses
- Riparian buffers
- Sediment traps
Demand management solutions
- Retrofitting of groups of properties to slow water flow and reduce water consumption.
Wastewater management solutions
- Upgrading smaller wastewater treatment plants
- Portable treatment works
- Septic tank upgrades to package treatment plants
- Connection of septic tanks and package treatment plants to the mains
For examples of the types of projects we have already funded please check out the case studies on our projects page.
We would be interested to also receive applications linked to other new and innovative solutions, especially if there is a scientific evidence base that has been established.
You may also have a project that is generating other nutrient credits, such as biodiversity net gain, in terms of assessing your application only the nutrient neutrality yields (phosphorus and nitrogen) will be considered, although other ‘stacked’ benefits will hopefully bring down your ask of the Fund.
About the feasibility scheme
This funding is a revenue grant and does not need to be repaid. The revenue funding would be to help you get a viable project, this could include surveys of a site, further scientific studies, modelling or analysis, legal or external planning support. Detailed fee proposals and schedule of works would need to be supplied by way of evidence.
If your business is able to claim back the VAT on the Nutrient Mitigation work, then the NMF will only cover the net cost of work (ie excluding VAT). If you cannot claim back the VAT then the NMF will consider covering the cost (ie including irrecoverable VAT).
Applicants are normally expected to make a contribution towards the cost of any feasibility work.
About the capital scheme
Capital funding is typically offered as a loan and could be combined with other funding sources. The funding must be used to implement a project and could be combined with other funding sources. The project will have been discussed and ideally accepted by statutory agencies such as Natural England and the Environment Agency and discussed with your local planning authority, who will require mitigation to be secured through a legal agreement with you.
Funding may be through a simple loan repayment process through to alternative funding models based around risk and reward. Details will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis, ideally any funding will be repaid in 12 months, but this is only a guide.
A minimum capital bid request of £50,000 is advisable.