Why ‘complete on day one’ is the new standard As reforms push the system to decide faster, poorly evidenced applications fall to the bottom of the pile. Case officers want a single, coherent story: what’s on site, what the risks are,

Neutrality still matters—even as rules evolve Policy signals suggest easing nutrient neutrality to unlock housing, but catchment pressures aren’t going away. LPAs will continue asking developers to show how proposals avoid adding phosphorus and nitrogen to sensitive water bodies. That means

BNG is now a baseline expectation Delivering at least 10% Biodiversity Net Gain is the new normal. SuDS can carry a big share of those units—if they are designed from evidence rather than retrofitted. That starts with understanding your ground’s capacity

Why undertakings matter to developers Regulatory undertakings accepted by water companies signal tougher expectations on overflow management, pollution incidents and network capacity. In practice, developers connecting to stressed catchments should expect more questions up front—and slower responses if evidence is thin.