South Hampshire councils have called on Environment Secretary Therese Coffey to reinstate a review of water company permits in the region.
More than half of Southern Water’s treatment works in South Hampshire have no limit enforced on the amount of nitrogen and phosphate they can release into rivers or the sea.
News OnTheWight has asked Isle of Wight council whether they are planning to do the same and will update once we hear back.
EA reneged on promise to review situation
The Environment Agency had committed to reviewing this situation, but has now reneged on the promise in favour of a tabled amendment to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill that may not even pass committee stage.
The Partnership for South Hampshire (PfSH), which brings local councils and other partners together with a focus on sustainable growth in the area, has written to the Environment Secretary calling for the review to be reinstated with concerns the situation will prevent housing development the region requires.
Woodward: Southern Water can effectively do what they want
Cllr Sean Woodward, chairman of PfSH, said,
“Natural England has established an issue with high nitrates in the Solent area, councils across the region are working hard to find ways to bring forward important developments while respecting this, but at the same time, more than half the waterworks in our area have no limit on the amount of nitrogen they can discharge.
“It seems ridiculous that developers are being held to a high standard for nutrients while Southern Water can effectively do what they want.
“We want Therese Coffey to ensure the Environment Agency honours its commitment to review the permits in place and hope this leads to a situation where everyone is working together to protect our natural environment while bringing forward projects to benefit our residents and local economy.”
You can read the letter below.
News shared by Portsmouth City Council. Ed
Image: jonny gios under CC BY 2.0
