A 70-home residential scheme in Wetheral, near Carlisle, has been approved after a four-year delay linked to nutrient neutrality restrictions. The project, on greenfield land west of Steeles Bank, includes a mix of house types and 21 affordable homes, and had already secured a Section 106 agreement that required reassessment when the rules changed.
The Planning Inspectorate reports that development consent has been granted for the Morgan and Morecambe Offshore Wind Farms Transmission Assets project. The scheme includes offshore export cables, landfall infrastructure, onshore export cables, substations, grid connection cables and related works, following a six-month examination under the Planning Act 2008.
Wirral Council has unanimously refused Peak Cluster permission to access council-owned land for survey work related to a proposed carbon capture pipeline. The decision is likely to delay the project, though councillors acknowledged it may not ultimately prevent the scheme from progressing through other legal routes.
The Environment Agency has published a public notice for an environmental permit application submitted by Andy Davies for Woodcote, Pond Lane, Farnham, GU10 2PZ. The notice explains that the application is open to public consultation in relation to activities such as water discharge, groundwater activities, and certain combustion plant or generator uses.
The Environment Agency has updated guidance on the U1 waste exemption, which allows certain suitable waste materials to be used in construction, landscaping, drainage works and maintenance of linear networks. The guidance sets out activity-specific tonnage limits, contamination restrictions, validity periods and the need to comply with other permissions such as flood risk permits and planning consent.
Sefton Council officers are recommending approval for a hybrid redevelopment at the Formby Bypass site, known as The Point, which would bring Lidl and M&S retail units forward first, followed by substantial employment floorspace, a medical centre and other uses. Approval is also recommended for the redevelopment of Greenbank High School in Birkdale, where the existing buildings would be demolished and replaced in phases while the school remains operational.
The Environment Agency has updated guidance on the information required for noise impact assessments that use computer modelling or spreadsheet calculations. The guidance sets out detailed submission requirements for site, plant, building, barrier, terrain and receptor data, and notes that incomplete applications may be delayed.
The Environment Agency has announced two further arrests in its ongoing investigation into large-scale illegal waste dumping at a site in Kidlington, bringing the total number of arrests to six. The site was previously closed by court order and has since been fully cleaned, with more than 22,000 tonnes of waste removed.
The Environment Agency has updated its guidance on CEN and ISO monitoring methods for discharges to water, including the addition of new standards for several pollutants and the replacement of the PFOS/PFOA standard with one for PFAS. The document notes that some updated methods, including those for biochemical oxygen demand and total nitrogen, supersede previous versions.
Atom Bank has launched a Natural Capital lending product to support the creation and refinancing of Biodiversity Net Gain habitat banks in England. The initial funding has backed three sites that have generated BNG units registered with Natural England, with the article noting the wider applicability of BNG requirements across development types and the future extension to NSIPs in 2026.
The Environment Agency has issued Regulatory Position Statement RPS 376 on the storage of waste PFOA-containing firefighting foams and related decontamination and replacement wastes. It explains when the Agency will not normally take enforcement action if these wastes are stored longer than permitted under non-waste framework directive exemptions, provided the stated conditions are met.
The Environment Agency is investigating three illegal waste dump sites in the North East, at Peterlee, Hartlepool and Callerton, involving almost 3,500 tonnes of shredded household waste. The sites have been shut down and access blocked while investigations and clean-up planning continue with landowners.
