Scheme set to reduce nitrates washing into Chichester Harbour

The scheme will allow the owner of Chilgrove Farm to sell ‘credits’ to developers who need their proposed developments to be nutrient neutral before they can go ahead.

Essentially, once a credit is bought, a patch of land at the farm will be taken out of agricultural use and planted with oak, beech or hazel trees.

The reduction of agricultural nitrates washing into the River Lavant and down to the harbour will offset those created by the new homes.

During a meeting of the planning committee on Wednesday (August 7), members agreed that the council should enter into a legal agreement with South Downs National Park Authority and the landowner to secure the scheme.

It will involve 12 parcels of land, spread across 26.01 hectares.

Members were told that the Park Authority would be paid a ‘substantial’ one-off fee to monitor things and to ensure that any trees which should fail or fall be replaced.

In 2019, Natural England carried out assessments of Chichester and Langstone Harbours and found that more than 3,000 hectares were in an ‘unfavourable – declining’ condition.

The legal agreement is part of the work to try to put things right.

A report to the committee said: “The mitigation scheme would provide a reduction of 688.18 kg N/ha/yr, which would deliver mitigation for in the region of 688 houses based upon an average of 1kg per dwelling, although this figure is dependent upon the location of the development site and its existing use.

“The proposed mitigation scheme would unlock a number of applications that have been held up in the planning system, unable to progress without a solution to become nutrient neutral.”

Senior planning officer Calum Thomas said: “In essence, the objective is to take the agricultural land out of use, reduce the level of nitrogen entering the harbour and using the reductions at Chilgrove Farm, via the sale of credits, to offset new development elsewhere in Chichester.

“Essentially enabling new development to proceed without increasing the level of nitrogen entering the harbour.”

While the committee agreed unanimously that the council should be part of the legal agreement, David Betts (Lib Dem, North Mundham & Tangmere) shared a frustration held by many.

He said: “What a state we’ve got ourselves in – ‘we’ as in humankind – where we have to take land out of agricultural use because we’re building on agricultural land.”