Nutrient Neutrality in the Wye and Lugg catchments

The River Wye and Lugg catchment areas are impacted by Nutrient Neutrality due to an excess of phosphorus levels in the designated site of these rivers. The region includes the following Local Planning Authorities (LPAs):

•  Herefordshire LPA
• Brecon Beacons National Park LPA
• Monmouthshire LPA
• Malvern Hills LPA
• Powys LPA

The affected areas in the Wye and Lugg catchment include the towns of Hereford, Monmouth, and Brecon. A comprehensive map of the area can be found below, along with maps of all the areas in England and Wales affected by Nutrient Neutrality.

We would characterise the mitigation market in the catchment as very weak due to limited supply of phosphorus credits. Mitigation is being priced on a per house basis, with the cost of nutrient credits generally being quite high. Typically these are in the region of £5,000 to £8,000 per house. 

The area has a variety of levels of nutrient stripping technology at the wastewater treatment works for phosphorus. New houses currently require between 0.1 kg to 0.89 kg of phosphorus mitigation per house. This creates significant opportunities for landowners looking at mitigation schemes.  

We forecast demand outstripping supply for at least the next 2 years, despite new schemes coming online (see below).