The House of Lords has voted against the proposed amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill that would have dispensed with existing requirements for Nutrient Neutrality in their current form.

The amendments would have created new opportunities and challenges for housing developers and landowners to look to increase investment in specific interventions where appropriate. With 192 votes against the amendments and 161 for them, the Lord's vote leaves the current rules in place.

 H&H Land & Estates Environment and Forestry Advisor, Will Livesey, explains the implications of the vote for developers and landowners. "It looks very much like it's back to business as usual for Net Nutrient Neutrality requirements for developments in affected areas. New developments within catchments identified as having excess Phosphorus, Nitrogen, or both, must continue to achieve a nutrient neutral output by measures such as mitigating their outputs through reductions of emissions elsewhere."

 Any further policy change dealing with NNN now requires a new Members Bill to be voted through both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, so for the foreseeable future H&H Land & Estates will continue to help developers and landowners tackle the demands of NNN as they stand says Will Livesay.

 "The implications for landowners are a continuation of a clear and pressing need for nutrient mitigation through agricultural change where appropriate, representing a potential for income generation through a long-term land use commitment.

 "Developers will continue to need to undertake nutrient mitigation, prior to planning approval, if within an affected catchment. For all our clients, we will continue to support them in achieving their plans in line with the NNN requirements, and we can look to source new and innovative mitigation processes, working with a geographically dispersed client base. "