How new nutrients targets may impact on your development

In this section

What action have we taken?

We have written to Welsh Government outlining our concerns about the impact on development and the necessity to find a solution as quickly as possible. We have also taken the following proactive steps:

  • We have established a Nutrient Management Board (NMB) for the River Tywi, Teifi and Cleddau Rivers. These boards are responsible for producing a Nutrient Management Plan to improve the condition of the river and to facilitate development. Further details of the Board, including a webpage displaying live updates can be found here. 
  • We have produced the West Wales Calculator to help developers calculate the level of nutrients their development will generate. In practise, the application of the calculator will span three counties (Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, and Ceredigion) and river catchments (Tywi, Cleddau and Teifi). The Welsh Government will soon be making the All Wales Calculator publicly available.
  • We have produced comprehensive Mitigation Guidance that explains the most effective types of mitigation that could be utilised in Carmarthenshire.
  • In recognition of the leadership demonstrated in Carmarthenshire, we were invited to the Phosphate Solutions Summit held in July 2022 by the First Minister at the Royal Welsh Show. In March 2023, the second Phosphate Solutions Summit, again attended by representatives from the Local Authority, further highlighted the need for a River Pollution Action Plan and to develop solutions with haste, the third Phosphate Solutions Summit was held in November 2023, followed by the fourth summit in March 2024.
  • CCC have produced a Statement of Common Ground (SoCG) to address the need for collaboration beyond the boundaries of LA catchments. The cross-county nature of riverine Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) catchments necessitates collaboration between Local Authorities, NRW, DCWW and BBNP to address the legislative need for nutrient neutrality or betterment.
  • The Nutrient Neutrality Strategy has been produced. CCC recognises the need for and importance of developing a strategy to deliver Nutrient Neutrality in the Afon Teifi catchment that facilitates the rLDP and sets out a holistic approach to introducing broader benefits, with a particular focus on NbS and wider environmental improvement within the River Tywi SAC.
  • CCC chair and work proactively with the Nutrient Management Boards Technical Advisory Groups. These include the Agricultural Working Group, Citizen Science Working Group and Monitoring Working Group. If you are interested in joining either of these groups please contact crichards@carmarthenshire.gov.uk or lecarrington@carmarthenshire.gov.uk
  • CCC Action Plan sets out a proposed plan to deliver strategic nutrients mitigation requirements within the Teifi and Tywi SAC Catchments to accommodate the growth planned within the rLDP. The document is an update to the Interim Action Plan (IAP) produced by CCC in March 2023.
  • We are devising a project to work with our tenant farmers and support them in identifying opportunity to implement nutrient mitigation measures on their land. This will enable a bottom-up farmer-led transition to regenerative agriculture, with the outcome of long-term profit and resilience.
  • We have created a ‘cheat sheet’ for agricultural land users to streamline mitigation strategies to ‘quick wins’ and identify funding sources.
  • We are supporting a wide range of groups of citizen scientists across the three river catchments in project design and outputs, data collection and data processing. We are always looking for new volunteers!
  • As an active partner of the Nutrient Management Boards we have supported the delivery of the successful water quality monitoring project in the river Teifi.