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Controversial government plans to relax environmental rules to boost housebuilding have been scuppered by peers.
The House of Lords voted by 192 to 161, majority 31, against scrapping EU-era rules that force developers to mitigate the impact new homes have on river health.
Because the contentious reform was introduced at such a late stage in the passage of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill through Parliament, it will not return to the Commons as part of so-called parliamentary ping-pong.
The upper chamber also rejected by 203 votes to 156, majority 47, a move to give ministers wide-ranging powers that critics warned could have allowed the Secretary of State to resurrect the plans by decree.
Ministers had argued removing the requirements would ‘unblock’ 100,000 new homes by 2030.
But opponents argued the change was ‘rushed and flawed’ and would increase river pollution.
Among those to vote against the change were three Tory peers, according to the official division. They were John Gummer, who recently left his role as chair of the Climate Change Committee, and former ministers Ros Altmann and Ian Duncan.
The government set out plans to axe ‘nutrient neutrality’ rules last month, which currently mean developers building new homes in protected areas are required to provide mitigations to ensure no new additional nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus make it into rivers and lakes.
Ministers argued watering down the requirement would have a limited impact on pollution but environmental campaigners disagreed.
Criticising the government’s bid to disregard the impact of nutrients on habitats, Gummer, a former environment secretary, said: ‘This is the kind of attitude that you see in the Republican Party of the US.
‘The people who don’t believe in climate change, the people who are anti-vaxxers, don’t look at the facts.’
He added: ‘This is one of the worst pieces of legislation I have ever seen and I’ve been around a long time.’
But housing campaigner and independent crossbencher Richard Best said: ‘government action of some sort has to be taken to address the mess we are in with nutrient neutrality.’
Labour frontbencher Sue Hayman said: ‘We believe that the resulting increase in river pollution is a wholly unnecessary price to pay for building the homes that we are in short supply of.
‘There are far better ways to build the new homes we need than at the expense of our precious environment.’
In a sideswipe at Labour, communities minister Jane Scott said: ‘I’m afraid the party opposite is planning to vote down laws that would unlock 100,000 new homes and enhance the environment.
‘This is a sort of short-term political manoeuvring that does nothing, it does nothing, to benefit the British people. And it does everything to undermine the public’s confidence in us as politicians and our parliament.
‘What they are proposing will end the dream of home ownership for thousands of families and block £18 billion boost to our economy.’
For the Liberal Democrats, Kath Pinnock said: ‘This is a great victory against the government’s plans to remove regulations that protect British rivers from pollution.
‘The Conservatives have continually promised not to roll back our environment rules it is deeply shocking that they can’t be trusted to keep their word.’
By Nick Lester, Ben Hatton and Martina Bet, PA Political Staff
source: PA
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