BCP Cabinet have approved the proposed changes to the Council’s validation requirements which will now require applicants seeking a net increase in homes in the Christchurch area to demonstrate that phosphorous mitigation has been secured. Unlike the situation within the New Forest District there are no agreements in place to enable mitigation to be secured via an established mitigation project. The Council have identified that for major development there is potential option of direct mitigation through the provision of an on-site package treatment plant.
The requirement to provide mitigation and the absence by the Council to identify any mitigation schemes will impact on live applications (proposing a net increase in housing), these applications will not be able to be approved until a mitigation scheme comes forward. All of which is a very unsatisfactory position for applicants.