We don’t hide the fact that a substantial job such as installing a sewage treatment plant does not come without cost. However the important bit for you is that you, as the homeowner does not have to pay.

If a developer wishes to have their planning application approved, they must ensure that their new build is Nutrient Neutral. This is almost impossible. Instead the developer can offset their emissions by upgrading existing homes to be less harmful. This means that overall, the emissions into the river will be lower than what they were previously. So in short, the developer pays for your upgrade.

In March 2022, Natural England passed legislation which effectively prevented local planning departments within Norfolk approving planning applications in certain areas unless the developer (this can be anyone looking to add an extension to their home through to a national house builder) could prove that the proposed development does not add further pollution to the water catchment of the Norfolk Rivers, primarily The Bure, The Wensum and the Yare. At the time this had a major effect on development of any kind in Norfolk and most of it came to a standstill. The aim of the scheme is to improve and reduce nutrient export which in turn will improve water quality, water resource usage and habitat creation.

Nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus provide nutrition for plants and animals and are required for them to grow. They occur naturally in ecosystems, but human activities can increase their supply. An excess of nitrogen and phosphorus can be damaging to the environment because it can lead to eutrophication and algal blooms in rivers and lakes. The main sources of phosphorus and nitrates in rivers and lakes in the UK are sewage effluent and run-off from agricultural land.

The consortium is made up of specialists in various fields, we have worked together to come up with a solution that has already been tested with the planning departments and has seen planning applications approved using our scheme.

By purchasing credits developers provide assurance to local planning authorities (LPAs) that they can satisfy nutrient neutrality planning conditions. This will enable LPAs to grant permission subject to conditions or obligations securing mitigation and phasing developments (if needed) so that mitigation is operational and in place, prior to any nutrient pollution being discharged. Once payment for credits has been made, and any related planning conditions discharged, new homes can be occupied. One of the ways that credits can be generated is by the replacement of septic tanks.

Not necessarily, the development only has to be within the same river catchment area to where the septic tank upgrade takes place. The scheme does not allow developers to build in areas where they couldn’t previously, i.e outside of the current Local Plans that are in place in Norfolk.

We use a Graf sewage treatment plant, Graf is a German company and the only manufacturer of sewage treatment plants that Natural England will currently approve for nutrient neutral areas.

Yes. There is a contract to sign and also a unilateral undertaking which includes how you need to look after the plant going forward (See “Post Installation” questions re Servicing and emptying)

You will be given plenty of time to read both documents before having to sign them.