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Question from: County Councillor Jeremy Brignell-Thorp Subject: Phosphates
Question:
This question has been raised by the phosphates working group of the council.
There is growing concern about the quality of the water in our rivers and also the quality of groundwater which is leading to restrictions on where new housing can be built.
This is a problem that extends beyond the borders of Powys and requires us to work with many other organisations including NRW and Welsh Government.
Could you outline how this council is participating with and collaborating with other organisations to seek a solution to this problem so that our rivers can be brought back to an acceptable ecological standard.
The problem is part of the Nature Emergency, and also a practical problem in terms of us being able to build new housing, so we would ask for a response from both the portfolio holders above.
Minutes: Firstly, can we apologise for the delay in responding. The Authority is involved in supporting various activities to secure water quality improvements for the river SACs and at the same time to find solutions for enabling relevant development to proceed in compliance with the Habitat Regulations:
Written Statement: River Pollution Summit at the Royal Welsh Show (1 August 2022) | GOV.WALES An officer from Powys County Council is currently a member of the Oversight Group.
Accompanying NRW’s compliance report, NRW published planning advice to Local Planning Authorities across Wales to apply when determining relevant planning applications within the river SAC catchments which for Powys includes the rivers Wye and Usk:
The planning advice requires development proposals (planning applications) in river SAC catchments to demonstrate that they would achieve nutrient (phosphate) neutrality or betterment. Powys Local Planning Authority, in complying with its duties under the Habitat Regulations 2017 (as amended), is unable to support applications which do not demonstrate nutrient (phosphate) neutrality or betterment with certainty due to the adverse effect they would have on River Special Areas of Conservation. In addition, the preparation of Powys Replacement Local Development Plan will need to demonstrate that it achieves nutrient neutrality in order to comply with the requirements of the Habitat Regulations. Furthermore, the Council plays an active part on the Powys Nature Partnership. There is formal representation on the Partnership by Councillor Adam Kennerley; the Biodiversity Officer, whose post is hosted by the Council, supports and facilitates the Partnership’s work. The Powys Nature Partnership has been instrumental in producing ... view the full minutes text for item 1. |