Welcome to Cumbria Nutrient Neutrality
Cumbria Nutrient Neutrality is a partnership of Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness Councils and the Lake District National Park Authority.
Cumbria Nutrient Neutrality (Cumbria NN) is a partnership of local authorities comprising of Westmorland and Furness Council, Cumberland Council and Lake District National Park Authority. The partnership works with environmental organisations, and agencies to deliver innovative solutions that enable sustainable development while safeguarding our natural habitats.
What is Nutrient
Neutrality?
Nutrient Neutrality (NN) plays a critical role in protecting our rivers and lakes from excessive phosphorus, which can adversely affect biodiversity and water quality. By embracing NN, we can support important development initiatives while ensuring that we balance their impact on these vital ecosystems. This approach demonstrates our commitment to both environmental stewardship and sustainable progress.
Our aim
The goal of Cumbria NN is to ensure that new building developments do not further aggravate phosphorus pollution in already stressed river areas. Through Nutrient Neutrality, the initiative strives to maintain existing phosphorus levels by balancing increases in nutrients with equivalent reductions elsewhere. Before receiving approval for new developments, developers must demonstrate how they will offset the nutrient impacts their projects will introduce.
Catchment Areas
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River Derwent & Bassenthwaite Lake Special Area of Conservation
The River Derwent and Bassenthwaite Lake Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is in northwest Cumbria. Only some parts of it are affected by Nutrient Neutrality.
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River Eden Special Area of Conservation
The River Eden catchment Special Area of Conservation (SAC), in north-east Cumbria, covers parts of Durham, Northumberland and North Yorkshire.
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Esthwaite Water Ramsar
This catchment is located between Lake Windermere and Coniston Water and is a protected RAMSAR (The Convention on Wetlands) site.
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River Kent Special Area of Conservation
The River Kent Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is split into two parts: one east of Kendal and the other northeast of Windermere.
About Cumbria Nutrient Neutrality
Watch our video to learn more about the partnership and our goals.
Cumbria Nutrient Neutrality is a partnership supporting the housing and growth our communities need while protecting our region’s most precious natural assets from further phosphorus pollution, led by the Westmoreland and Furness Council, Cumberland Council, and the Lake District National Park Authority. The partnership focuses on four specific catchments affected by excess nutrients.
Our goal is to prevent overall increases in phosphates from new housing developments in key catchments, keeping phosphates out of rivers and lakes by creating and funding mitigation projects across the area. Our goal is to ensure that the development we need in the future does not result in any deterioration in the quality of our protected rivers and the habitats they support. We are working to unlock thousands of stalled homes by funding and delivering on the ground mitigation, like land use changes and non drainage upgrades.
Who is Cumbria NN?
Cumbria Nutrient Neutrality (Cumbria NN) is a partnership between three local authorities: Westmorland and Furness Council, Cumberland Council, and the Lake District National Park Authority, all collaborating to address the issue of nutrient neutrality across Cumbria.
To stay updated on our work, sign up for the NN newsletter below.
