Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, following the approval in June 2020 of outline planning permission for the NA3 Wolborough Barton development, including safeguarding conditions to protect Wolborough Fen SSSI, whether Environmental Delivery Plans or biodiversity‑offsetting mechanisms can be applied to development proposals affecting the Fen; and what criteria her Department uses to determine the appropriateness of such measures at hydrologically sensitive protected sites.

The Government's initial focus for EDPs is nutrient pollution, with Natural England currently exploring their development for a number of specific catchments. A list of EDPs currently being prepared by Natural England, and the areas they may cover, was published on 22 December 2025. Wolborough Fen SSSI does not fall within the catchments currently identified for the early nutrient EDPs.