Our catchment areas

We used data and maps from Natural England and Wessex water to create catchment areas maps. You can use these maps to see all the areas where you may need to consider mitigation. 

You will need to mitigate in the catchment areas for developments that will: 

  • increase overnight stays, such as homes, hotels and campsites 
  • attract large numbers of people such as tourist attractions 
  • cause significant discharge of wastewater such as industrial processes 
  • increase agricultural activity such as new cattle barns 

You will need to provide mitigation if: 

  • your development is in these catchment areas 
  • wastewater from your development will enter these areas

Temporary or short term mitigation helps mitigate the short-term impact of developments up until 2030. It can be useful where the nutrient impact will vary over time. You may also need permanent or long term mitigation. This will help address the impact of your development over its lifetime.

Poole Harbour Catchment

Register your interest in buying temporary, permanent or both types of nitrogen credits

We are selling temporary and permanent nitrogen credits in the Poole Harbour catchment area. You can use these credits to mitigate your developments impact up to 2030 (temporary) and/or post 2030 (permanent)  

You may have two nitrogen budgets pre-1 April 2030 and post 1 April 2030. Read our guide on the difference between temporary and permanent nitrogen credits for more detail. 

Dorset Council temporary and permanent credits for Poole Harbour Catchment  

Each whole credit costs:

  • £406 for temporary credits 
  • £1,840 for permanent credits 
  • £360 administration fee applied per transaction 

Credits are priced in alignment with our credit pricing methodology which was approved by cabinet. 

If your budget requires part of a credit, the price will be calculated based on what you need down to 2 decimal places.  

We measure nitrogen in kilograms (kg) of Total Nitrogen (TN) per year (yr) or kg TN/yr for budget calculations, 1 credit is equivalent to 1 kg TN/yr. 

The application form will ask which credits you would like to purchase; temporary, permanent or both.  

It will also automatically calculate your temporary and permanent credit requirement based on the figures you input from the Natural England calculator which should have been approved as part of your planning application.  

Before you register your interest below, you will need to: 

What happens next  

We will process applications and confirm if you have secured the temporary, permanent or both types of credits requested. 

Once you have registered your interest, you will receive a confirmation email and then the relevant LPA will: 

  • review your proposal  
  • check your nutrient budget  
  • confirm if have successfully secured the credits 
  • complete the sale and take payment 

Register your interest

Other Credit Providers  

Natural England is also selling nitrogen mitigation credits. 

We are not aware of other nitrogen mitigation credit providers currently selling credits in Poole Harbour Catchment. However, we will update this website if other accredited providers become available. 

Somerset Levels and Moors - Parrett Catchment 

The providers below offer phosphate credits for development in Dorset located in the Parrett Catchment.

Emails for:

For other Phosphate credit providers for areas not within Dorset, contact Somerset Council about the Somerset Levels and Moors area.

River Avon

The providers below offer phosphate credits for development in Dorset located in the River Avon Catchment.

Emails for:

River Axe

There are currently no credits available.

Chesil and the Fleet

There are currently no credits available.

Mailing List

Nutrient credit schemes may become available in the future. Subscribe with us if you would like to be notified when schemes become available in any of our catchments.