A new report published by the Local Government Association’s Planning Advisory Service (PAS) highlights how councils across England have used the Local Nutrient Mitigation Fund (LNMF) to unlock housing growth while protecting internationally important habitats. The report includes the Solent as one of three national case studies, alongside Norfolk and Somerset.
From the Solent Mitigation Partnership’s perspective, it is encouraging to see the value of our collaborative, catchment-wide approach recognised. The report notes that, unlike areas focused primarily on stimulating a new mitigation market, the Solent used LNMF funding strategically to address gaps in mitigation supply and build longer-term resilience across the catchment.
The Solent Mitigation Partnership brings together 16 local planning authorities under a shared governance framework. This enables partners to work collectively on nutrient neutrality challenges that do not stop at local authority boundaries. The PAS report identifies effective cross-boundary working and agile decision-making as key factors in delivering mitigation at pace, particularly within a constantly evolving policy and legislative environment.
The report highlights how LNMF investment in the Solent was guided by detailed supply-and-demand modelling, allowing funding to be targeted towards priority sub-catchments where mitigation was most needed. This included investment in land-use change projects, upgrades to council-owned treatment infrastructure and pilot schemes, such as household septic tank upgrades.
Importantly, the report concludes that this strategic approach has helped release mitigation supply in areas that were previously underserved and is projected to meet five years of mitigation demand across the various Solent river catchments.
For the Solent Mitigation Partnership, the findings reinforce the benefits of taking a coordinated, evidence-led approach. Nutrient neutrality remains a complex challenge, requiring long-term planning, strong partnerships and a diverse pipeline of mitigation solutions. The LNMF has provided an important opportunity to strengthen that pipeline and support sustainable growth while maintaining protection for the Solent’s internationally designated habitats.
As we continue to develop new mitigation projects and work with partners across the region, we welcome the lessons identified in the PAS report and look forward to building on this success to provide certainty for both nature recovery and future development.
View the full report here – Learning from the Local Nutrient Mitigation Fund | Local Government Association
