Thousands of people across Norfolk are being offered free replacement septic tanks worth £15,000 as part of an extraordinary taxpayer-funded scheme to overcome a limbo which has stopped homes being built.
The project is designed to unlock the development of tens of thousands of new properties across the county which have been stalled by so-called 'nutrient neutrality' rules.
These require housing developers to mitigate the pollution caused to rivers by wastewater produced by new properties.
One way to do this is to 'offset' the impact in other ways, and officials believe that by fitting more efficient septic tanks to existing homes - reducing the amount of pollution they produce - more newbuilds will be able to go ahead.
But some have raised questions over the wisdom of a scheme likely to disproportionately benefit wealthier homeowners - those living in rural areas with their own septic tanks.
The scheme is initially being funded by the taxpayer but after that, the costs of the tanks may fall on those buying the new properties, many of whom will be first time buyers.
What are septic tanks?
Septic tanks are underground chambers for properties which are not connected to mains sewers.
Sewage and wastewater from the house flows into the tank where biological processes break it down.
Solid waste is then emptied by tankers and taken away. Some liquid waste drains out.
Many of the tanks in use in Norfolk are not of the most modern and efficient design and the material that drains out goes into the groundwater and can contribute to nutrient pollution in the waterways.
Why are people getting free ones?
Concerns over such pollution - which also comes from other sources, including agriculture - led Natural England, in March 2022, to impose a moratorium on new homes being given planning permission in large swathes of Norfolk, within the catchment of the River Wensum and the Broads.
Permission can only now be granted if councils and developers can show that the impact is being mitigated.
They can do this not only by introducing new measures for the proposed new homes - to show they will not contribute to pollution - but by finding other ways to reduce the amounts of harmful nutrients getting in to the waterways.
One previous tactic was to pay a pig farmer £1m not to keep his pigs on a field near two rivers to avoid their waste ending up in the water.
Now, officials have struck on the idea of handing out free septic tanks to existing properties, to replace their more polluting ones.
How will the scheme work?
In order to restart housebuilding in the county, a number of district councils set up an organisation called Norfolk Environmental Credits (NEC).
Through this, developers can buy 'credits' in return for measures to offset potential pollution.
This allows the developers to go ahead with their housing schemes, while the NEC uses the money to fund schemes to mitigate the impact of the nutrients they produce.
Under the new scheme - which has been approved by Natural England - the NEC has agreed a £4m contract with Norfolk Rivers Consortium, part of the Harrison Civils Group, which is based at Hindolveston, near Dereham.
The company aims to replace 10 tanks each week under the contract, with no charge to the householders.
Officials believe that up to 12,000 homes in Norfolk may be eligible for a free replacement tank.
Tanks have already been replaced in Fritton, Swannington and Upgate, while work is under way in Brisley.
People can apply via a website.
How will this stop pollution?
The replacement tanks have been produced by Graf, a German company.
They significantly reduce how much nitrogen and phosphates leach into the ground and into waterways.
Who is paying for this?
To try to break the deadlock and get homes built again, the last government handed Broadland District Council £9.6m to find solutions.
NEC drew down £2.2m in a loan from this, which it has paid to Norfolk Rivers Consortium.
The rest of the cost of the contract will come from NEC selling credits to housing developers.
Eventually, NEC hopes that cash from the developers will also allow it to pay back the £2.2m loan.
However, there are concerns that the cost of the credit scheme will ultimately be met by those buying the newbuild houses, as developers raise prices to cover their extra costs.
One Norfolk councillor said: "There's no doubt that this - and other reforms by Michael Gove - essentially means a tax on developers which is adding to the cost of new homes.
"It is a cumulative effect, rather than just down to this initiative.
"Dealing with this is by no means an easy task or one which is free of consequences.
"But if people want to have clean rivers, that is going to come at a cost."
'This is a win win'
Phil Courtier, a senior official at Broadland and South Norfolk councils and a board member at NEC, defended the scheme: "We have identified about 12,000 septic tanks within the catchment areas and a lot of those are poorly performing, leaking phosphates and nitrogen into the environment.
"We felt the septic tank replacement scheme was win win. Replacing a septic tank can cost up to £15,000, but this enables householders to get that done for free. It helps them and the environment."
Architect of the scheme
The idea was the brainchild of Rodger Harrison, director at Norfolk Rivers Consortium.
As a property developer himself, he found his housing schemes caught up in the nutrient neutrality limbo.
He had been installing septic tanks for 25 years and realised getting them replaced with more efficient technology could be part of the nutrient neutrality solution in Norfolk.
He said: "We went through months and months of being grilled by planning authorities and Natural England and we came up with the answers to all of the questions they had.
"It just seems to hit the nail on the head and we're now talking to other councils across the country about replicating it there."
Mr Harrison added: "Obviously, we are a business and we will be making money on the credits which are sold.
"But we are very keen to keep the price down and make sure people realise and understand this is a community-based scheme.
"We are also working with a housing association to do work for them at cost, because it is affordable housing they are providing."
Pig controversy
Norfolk Environmental Credits caused controversy with its first scheme to tackle nutrient neutrality.
Mr Courtier said officers were also exploring the use of new technology at wastewater treatment works to limit nutrient release.
People can apply for free septic tank replacements at https://www.norfolknutrientneutrality.co.uk/
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