Pollution concerns could see planning applications put on hold for months

Richard Youle, local democracy reporter

Housing and other planned developments could be put on hold for months because of concerns about their impact on protected estuary.

Swansea Council’s development manager Ian Davies said all new planning applications in the affected catchment area must prove they won’t add polluting nutrients to the inner Burry Inlet, which comprises the Loughor Estuary and is part of a marine special area of conservation.

Environment regulator Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has deemed the inner Burry Inlet to be in an “unfavourable condition” due to evidence of chemical and biological failure. This is believed to be caused by polluting nutrients from wastewater and agricultural schemes.

Catchment area

The north-west and most of the north of Swansea – around a third of the county – is within the inlet catchment area. It’s also where some of the largest housebuilding projects in Swansea are proposed.

Speaking at a council planning committee meeting Mr Davies said NRW’s latest advice to local authorities didn’t mean they couldn’t make a decision on new applications.

But approval would only be given if an applicant demonstrated a scheme was not a source of nutrients, was a source of nutrients but there wasn’t a pathway for them to enter the Burry Inlet catchment area, or came with mitigation measures such that “nutrient neutrality” was achieved.

“It could be a single house, it could be 500 houses,” said Mr Davies. “My feeling is that it’s likely to be months not weeks to resolve this, longer potentially.”

The issue affects neighbouring Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire to the west.

Mr Davies and Tom Evans, the council’s placemaking and strategic planning manager, said discussions with NRW and the Welsh Government were taking place regularly on the issue including who was going to fund the extra assessments needed.

External support

Mr Davies said the council was not an expert on nutrient neutrality so would need external support, although he said planning officers could use a “nutrient calculator” provided by the Welsh Government to help them.

Mr Davies suggested one scenario might be developers funding the extra nutrient screening work with the cost offset with a lower requirement for affordable homes or smaller education contribution as part of any planning consent.

While NRW’s advice focuses on new applications, Mr Davies said it would affect schemes that had already been approved if relevant planning conditions still had to be discharged.

He also said the issue has delayed a planning inquiry about 216 homes that were turned down off Fairwood Terrace, Gowerton, when asked about it by Cllr Mary Jones.

Mr Davies added that the council has written to planning agents requesting time extensions to enable officers to fully assess new applications, but he said they didn’t have to agree to them.

He said it could be a while before some of the “big stuff” came before the committee for a decision. The committee deferred a decision on a 50-home scheme earmarked for Penyrheol in August soon after NRW’s advice was issued.

Targeted action

NRW told the Local Democracy Reporting Service at the end of August that key marine species and habitats were being impacted and that targeted action was required.

“Water quality challenges, particularly those caused by excess nutrients, are placing considerable pressure on our ecosystems,” it said.

“We fully recognise the significant pressures facing local authorities, particularly around nutrient-related planning decisions. These are complex issues, and NRW is committed to supporting with robust evidence, practical tools, and clear guidance to help inform assessments.”