Philp Dunne writes for ConservativeHome

I have spent much of this Parliament working to improve the state of our rivers, both as an individual MP and as chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee. (I write today in the former rather than the latter capacity.)

As a Conservative, I have long believed in the principle of homeownership, and sought to back aspirational policies that encourage those that work hard to be able to own their own home. There is also a severe shortage of affordable housing to rent, especially in rural areas like South Shropshire.

But in the River Clun catchment in my constituency, as in many others up and down the country, housebuilding and commercial development have been blocked for years by the nutrient neutrality rules currently covering river catchments in 74 local planning authorities.

While their aim to protect our waterways and most precious habitats from harmful pollution is absolutely right, these rules have led to perverse outcomes. New housing developments, which contribute less than one percent of the nutrients discharged into the environment, have been brought to a standstill, whilst the law does not do enough to tackle pollution at source.

In the Clun valley all development has been blocked for nine years, despite Shropshire Council allocating new housing in its local plan, with planning applications for new and affordable homes all but consented – yet undecided pending resolution of this issue. As a result, the viability of local schools – suffering declining pupil numbers through lack of homes for young families – is now at risk.

These Brussels-derived rules were bolstered, before we left the EU, by a court case in Holland; and are a sledgehammer swung at a proverbial nut.

It is high time that we found a solution that achieves what we ultimately all want to achieve: sustainable housing and improved water quality in our rivers. If we don’t do something now, then housing shortages will be exacerbated. As Conservatives we want to ensure both can be achieved without compromising the other.

Thus, Michael Gove’s announcement of yesterday is very welcome. Through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, nutrient neutrality laws will be reformed; 100,000 new homes will be unlocked by 2030, boosting the economy by up to £18 billion and supporting some 50,000 jobs.

Crucially for me and all those who care about our river quality, this will not come at the expense of the environment. On the contrary, the environmental mitigation announcements made today, with additional measures focussed on improving our waterways, are positive news.

There is no magic wand that can reverse the decline in water quality. But step-by-step action is already being taken to hold water companies to account and make sure that pollution running through our rivers is addressed.

The Prime Minister has announced a twin-track approach. New laws will be introduced to drive significant and much-needed investment from water companies to upgrade wastewater treatment works to the highest technical standards by 2030. This will reduce nutrients entering the water from new development.

In the meantime, the Government’s commitment to supporting mitigation, including nature-based solutions, will be doubled: £280 million will be spent to reduce nutrient levels where it is most needed in these sensitive catchments.

Thus, any additional nutrients from the 100,000 homes being unlocked between now and 2030 will be more than offset – in full. This is part of how Conservatives will deliver our commitment to leave the environment in a better state.

As for how the money will be spent, we must make sure that we are fully utilising innovative new technologies, such as those that are being trialled in Somerset to pull pollution out of wastewater. New funding will also create new wetlands and nature-based solutions that help absorb nutrients before they ever enter our waterways.

Crucially, the Government is going to work with major housing developers to make sure that they contribute to such schemes in the coming years. This is huge and much needed  progress.

Protected Sites Strategies will also be developed to boost nature in the areas most affected by nutrient neutrality and with the most acute housing pressures. These strategies will identify the action needed to restore habitats and species while reducing pollution at source, building on some of the significant action already being taken through the landmark Environment Act.

Farming also has a significant part to play in reducing excess nutrients flowing into our rivers from animal waste.

In my own constituency, and along waterways in the neighbouring Wye and Lugg catchment, our rivers are affected by intensive poultry farming and the phosphates that it generates, leaching from land where excessive litter has been spread on fields within the catchment. That is why I am particularly pleased to see a commitment to a River Wye Action Plan to address the very unique issues faced there.

Outside the European Union, we have been able to implement a whole new system of support for farmers. As a farmer myself, I have long called for a more joined-up approach so that we can use existing mechanisms, like the environmental land management scheme and the farming rules for water, to make sure that we are not only helping farmers to generate and maintain a viable business, but improving our waterways too.

This can be done without placing new burdens on farmers by ensuring the right support is in place. So, as part of the package announced today, the Government is investing £200 million in grants into slurry infrastructure to reduce nutrient run-off into rivers, and a further £25 million will drive innovation in farming to help farmers manage plant and soil nutrients more efficiently.

This will cut input costs for them and cut pollution at the same time. I have been assured there will also be payment premiums from 2024 to help ensure an accelerated spread of on-farm actions that provide benefits for water quality.

The campaign to restore our waterways to a healthy and natural state and the campaign to get housebuilding back on track are in many ways similar: people often call for the issues to be resolved overnight, but we have to face the reality that this simply isn’t achievable.

I have consistently called for a degree of realism within this debate. The pressures on drainage systems have been developing over many decades, investment in water treatment infrastructure and drainage systems underground has not kept pace with development above ground, and pressures have been exacerbated by intensive farming practices.

The EU’s defective nutrient neutrality rules are not the way to address the issues, and it is right that Rishi Sunak is taking decisive action to address the block on new development and improve water quality.

These measures give back control to local communities over the planning process, allowing developers to get spades in the ground on blocked construction sites, and delivering the homes our country needs – while making sure we leave the environment in a better state than we found it.