By Brad Tooze, Director, Nature Restoration Fund
The Nature Restoration Fund is a new way to support development while delivering bigger, lasting benefits for nature. The first Environmental Delivery Plan under this approach focuses on tackling nutrient pollution in the Norfolk Broads and River Wensum, two of England's most important protected sites. The draft plan is now open for public consultation, so this is your chance to have your say and help shape the final approach.
The Nature Restoration Fund provides a new way to support development while delivering larger-scale improvement for nature. It focusses on achieving an overall benefit for nature, rather than maintaining the status quo.
The first Environmental Delivery Plan (EDP) in England will focus on the impact of nitrogen and phosphorous, otherwise known as nutrient pollution, and has been developed to protect and enhance the Norfolk Broads and River Wensum Special Areas of Conservation and Broadland Ramsar. Following work with local stakeholders, Norfolk’s draft plan is currently going through public consultation, giving you the opportunity to help shape the final approach.
The wider context
The Norfolk Broads and River Wensum have been affected by nutrient pollution for many years, with pollution coming from a range of sources. New development alone did not create these historic problems, and its contribution is relatively small compared with the wider pressures on the water environment.
These wider water quality issues are being addressed through other government and industry action, with significant investments, and the government has announced a commitment to a Water Bill.
What will the EDP do?
The EDP will leave the habitats and species impacted by new development in a better position than they would be in a world than where the EDP (and its associated development and conservation measures) did not exist.
Under the nutrient neutrality system, developments affecting protected sites have to demonstrate that they will not increase nutrient pollution. This is usually achieved by purchasing nutrient credits, which offsets the additional pollution generated by development.
We have proposed a series of measures which will work in combination to deliver real benefits for the identified habitats and species. This includes removing nutrients created by development whilst also supporting wider, lasting improvements to habitat extent, connectivity and quality.
An example of how we have sought to deliver multiple benefits is removing nutrient inputs on land at the same time as improving its environmental quality by changing land use from intensive forms of agriculture to semi-natural habitats. These can also be positioned next to existing and new high-quality areas (including fen creation), improving environmental resilience. Because of the range and scale of pressures on the habitats and species, we need to put in place a package of measures that will both remove nutrients and deliver wider benefits to result in a material improvement which is the key legal test.
The science and evidence behind conservation measures
Natural England undertook an evidence review to investigate the effectiveness of the conservation measures considered for inclusion in the EDP. This review gathered information on environmental benefits, as well as requirements for the measure to be effective (e.g. location or long-term maintenance needs), time to effectiveness, and potential environmental risks.
Conservation measures were shortlisted by assessing each potential measure against a set of criteria including those relating to delivery, the strength of evidence for their effectiveness, and their potential to deliver a range of environmental benefits suitable for the local area. The approach taken to assess the strength of evidence was recommended in a policy brief produced by researchers at Oxford University (Stuart et al. 2026)).
The approach to conservation measure selection in the EDP was also scrutinised by Defra scientists and external members of Defra’s Biodiversity Expert Committee.
How the Overall Improvement Test works, including the safeguards built into the NRF
This is not a one-off test, but an ongoing commitment by Natural England over at least the lifetime of the EDP, keeping nature at the forefront.
Monitoring and reporting will track delivery, backed by remedial action, back-up measures and powers to amend or revoke an EDP if it is not delivering as expected.
Don’t miss your chance to shape the final EDP
This is a new approach under new legislation, and your feedback matters.
Responses through this consultation will directly inform the final design and approaches helping to ensure the Nature Restoration Fund is practical, proportionate and effective.
A Business Readiness Forum was held on 21 September to walk-through the draft EDP and host an extended Q&A session. You can watch this back on our YouTube channel, and we have a write-up of all questions raised during the Q&A.
How to share your views
Please respond to this consultation in one of the following ways:
1. Online using the Smart Survey consultation hub.
For ease of analysis, responses via the Smart Survey platform would be preferred, but alternative options are provided below, if required:
2. By email to: nrfconsultation@naturalengland.org.uk
Please use the word document titled ‘Consultation questions on draft Environmental Delivery Plan – Nutrient Pollution – Norfolk’ on Smart Survey to complete your responses before sending to the email address above.
3. By post:
EDP Consultation Team
Natural England
Foss House,
Kings Pool
1-2 Peasholme Green
York
YO1 7PX
Please use the word document titled ‘Consultation questions on draft Environmental Delivery Plan – Nutrient Pollution – Norfolk’ on Smart Survey to complete your responses before sending to the postal address above.
Please note, any responses sent by post must have arrived at the above address by the closing time.
Natural England will consider the feedback from the consultation before finalising the EDP. All consultation responses will be provided to the Secretary of State. The closing date for responses is Tuesday 27 October (9.29am).
Reference:
Stuart, A., Hawkins, I. & White, T. (2026) Building an evidence framework for inclusion of interventions in Environmental Delivery Plans. Available at: (Accessed 29.05.2026).
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