CPA Signed in 13 Days – Unlocking 220 Homes, Employment Land and a New Rail Station

Overview

Nutrient neutrality is frequently the final obstacle between a development and its planning consent. For the developer behind Longforth Farm – a complex mixed-use scheme on the edge of Wellington, Somerset, comprising up to 220 dwellings, employment land, a new station car park and public open space – WCI Nutrient Neutrality resolved that obstacle in thirteen days.

The Challenge

The scale and complexity of the scheme required a significant volume of phosphate credits allocated across all relevant catchments in the River Tone area. The developer needed confidence that credits were available and could be secured at pace.

The WCI Solution

WCI Nutrient Neutrality’s phosphate credit portfolio spans all relevant river catchments across the region, giving us the ability to allocate credits at short notice. The first Credit Purchase Agreement was signed within thirteen days of the initial enquiry, with a further top-up of 10.80 kg arranged as the project evolved – bringing the total to 25.80 kg.

The Outcome

Planning consent was unlocked for the full development, including the access road and car park for Wellington’s new railway station – part of a government-backed scheme that will restore passenger rail to the town for the first time since its original station closed in the 1964 Beeching cuts. The developer returned to WCI Nutrient Neutrality for the additional credit allocation, reflecting the confidence built during the initial transaction.

Speaking to BBC News following the planning committee’s decision, Cherwyn Developments founder Chris Winter said WCI’s credits were the most cost-effective on the market and would let the application be determined without depending on the council’s stretched planning and legal teams – calling them “the solution to enable the planning application to be determined.”