Cornish council blasts decision to remove river's environmental protection
Natural England is set to remove the protection from an area of the River Camel
A Cornish council has spoken out against a decision by Natural England to remove environmental protection from a section of the River Camel, which councillors say will leave the “floodgates open for sewage”.
Natural England, the government's adviser for the natural environment in England, wrote to Cornwall Council in 2021 about phosphate pollution in the River Camel.
This pollution had led to a temporary ban on development in the area.
However, now new developments in the Blisland, Bodmin Nanstallon, Bodmin Scarletts Well and St Breward wastewater treatment areas are allowed to be approved by the council, as long as they are "nutrient neutral".
This follows a review of the River Camel's condition, and of South West Water's plan for wastewater treatment.
This review, carried out by Natural England, has led Cornwall Council to conclude that there is no longer any need to mitigate phosphate pollution along certain areas of the river.
This has drawn criticism from Helland Parish Council, with a spokesperson saying the move "will allow construction of new housing, as well as other developments that cause flooding and toxic run-off from farmland."
“Natural England have proposed this despite their own evidence of unacceptably high levels of untreated sewage and other pollutants in the river.”
According to Helland Parish Council, the Camel has seen an eight-fold loss of spawning Atlantic salmon, and in 2024 saw more than 227 sewage outflows - the equivalent of nearly 5 hours a day.
The Camel is one of just 44 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in England.
SSSIs, according to Natural England, are the "best rivers for nature" in the country.
Orlando Kimber, chair of Helland Parish Council, said: “A healthy river supports and nourishes every living being, ourselves included, in and around it.
“The duty of Natural England and the Environment Agency is to protect this resource from further damage. By encouraging the use of the Camel as a sewer, they are failing in their duty. When we poison a stream, by design or by accident, we poison ourselves.”