Meeting documents

Cabinet
Tuesday, 21 November 2006

CA211106-11

Return to Agenda

Division(s): N/A

ITEM CA11

CABINET – 21 NOVEMBER 2006

OXFORDSHIRE MINERALS AND WASTE DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK: CORE STRATEGY

Report by Head of Sustainable Development

Introduction

  1. The Core Strategy will be a key development plan document forming part of the Minerals and Waste Development Framework and it is the first such document that the County Council is preparing. It will set out the Council’s vision, spatial strategy and core policies for minerals and waste development in Oxfordshire over the next 20 years. It will not include specific site proposals; these will be contained in the separate Minerals and Waste Site Proposals development plan documents that we are preparing on a separate timetable running about 6 months behind the Core Strategy timetable.

    (Annex 1 - download as .doc file)
    (Annex 2 - download as .doc file)
    (Annex 3 - download as .doc file)
    (Annex 4 - download as .doc file)
    (Annex 5 - download as .doc file)

  2. On 6 September 2005 the Cabinet approved a set of aims, objectives, issues and options to form the basis of a Minerals and Waste Issues and Options Consultation Paper for the Core Strategy. This paper would also inform preparation of the Minerals and Waste Site Proposals Documents. The Issues and Options Consultation Paper was subsequently prepared and agreed by the Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development, and was published on 28 June 2006. The consultation period ran to 11 August.

  3. The Council must now prepare Preferred Options for the Core Strategy and publish these for consultation. This report summarises the outcome of consultation on issues and options and puts forward a draft Preferred Options document for the Cabinet’s consideration.

    4. Consultation on Issues and Options

  4. The Minerals and Waste Issues and Options Paper set out for consultation:

    • the strategic aims and objectives for minerals and waste planning in Oxfordshire;

    • the main spatial planning issues that need to be addressed; and

    • possible options for addressing the issues identified.

  1. At this core strategy stage in the plan-preparation process, these matters are covered in a general, strategic manner. Detailed site options will be considered when the site proposals documents are prepared. The Issues and Options Paper was distributed to all County Council Members when it was published. A copy has been made available in the Members’ Resource Centre.

  2. 130 responses to the Issues and Options Paper were received within the consultation period, from a range of organisations and individuals. A summary of these responses by issue is set out at Annex 1. The full responses can be seen in Environment and Economy (Strategic Policy and Economic Development Group) at Speedwell House.

  3. The Issues and Options Paper was also considered by the Minerals and Waste Forum stakeholder group, on 12 September 2006. Discussion focussed on key locational issues for new minerals and waste developments. The report of this Forum meeting is set out at Annex 2.

  4. The options put forward for consultation in the Issues and Options Paper were subject to sustainability appraisal. An Interim Sustainability Appraisal report was published in June 2006, to accompany the Issues and Options Paper. A copy has been made available in the Members’ Resource Centre.

    5. Preferred Options

  5. A draft set of preferred options was drawn up in the light of the responses to consultation on the Issues and Options Paper, the views of the Minerals and Waste Forum and the results from the interim sustainability appraisal. These preferred options were considered by the Minerals and Waste Plan Working Group on 26 September 2006.

  6. A revised set of aims, objectives and preferred options for the Core Strategy, taking into account the views of the Minerals and Waste Plan Working Group, is set out at Annex 3. The supporting text to explain how these aims, objectives and preferred options have been selected has been drafted and is set out at Annex 4. For each issue this briefly sets out the background to the issue; the options considered; the outcomes of consultation; where applicable, the results of sustainability appraisal; and the proposed preferred option(s) and why they have been selected. It also indicates where policies should be included in the Core Strategy to deliver preferred options, although policy wording will not be drafted until the core strategy submission document is prepared next year. This draft of the full Preferred Options document is substantially complete, but needs some further editing to produce a final document for publication and consultation.

  7. Subject to approval by the Cabinet, consultation on the Preferred Options document will take place in January and February 2007. The statutory consultation period is 6 weeks. After considering all the responses to this consultation, the Council must prepare a full version of the Core Strategy for submission to the Secretary of State and publication for comment. There will then follow an Independent Examination by a government appointed Inspector. The report of the Inspector will be binding on the Council.

    8. Sustainability Appraisal

  8. The Core Strategy, as for all development plan documents, must be subject to sustainability appraisal (including strategic environmental assessment). A sustainability appraisal report must be prepared and published alongside the Preferred Options document. This is currently being prepared.

  9. A workshop on the emerging preferred options was held on 20 September 2006. The earlier interim sustainability appraisal report and the outcomes from this workshop together confirm that the options in Annex 3 are the best in terms of sustainability, subject in some cases to mitigation measures being included when policies and proposals to implement the strategy are developed. A summary of the sustainability appraisal is at Annex 5. This will form the basis of the sustainability appraisal report.

    10. Corporate Policies and Priorities

  10. The Council has a statutory duty to produce a Minerals and Waste Development Framework, to provide a planning strategy, policies and proposals for the supply of minerals and management of waste in Oxfordshire. The purpose of the Framework is to guide the production of minerals and management of waste consistent with the economic and environmental needs of the County. Preparation of the Framework contributes to the Council’s corporate objective of providing value for money. It also contributes towards the Council’s strategic priorities of helping the economy to grow in a way that does not prejudice the future of the environment; safeguarding communities and maintaining rural character; and making Oxfordshire a welcoming, safe and exceptional place to be.

    11. Financial and Staff Implications

  11. There are no financial or staff implications beyond those already provided for in the project management of the Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Development Framework.

    12. Risk Management

  12. The Minerals and Waste Development Framework is a high risk project because of the complexity of the process and the potential implications of any delay for procurement by the Council of any new waste treatment facilities for household waste. This is being addressed through established project management procedures, including regular reporting on risk management.

    13. RECOMMENDATION

  13. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

          1. approve the Aims, Objectives and Preferred Options for the Minerals and Waste Core Strategy set out at Annex 3 to the report and approve in principal the supporting text of the Preferred Options document as set out at Annex 4 and referred to in paragraph 9 of this report;

          2. authorise the Head of Sustainable Development, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development, to finalise the Core Strategy Preferred Options document for publication and consultation in accordance with Regulation 26 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2004;

          3. authorise the Head of Sustainable Development, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development, to prepare and publish the Sustainability Appraisal report to accompany the Core Strategy Preferred Options document; and

          4. authorise the Head of Sustainable Development, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development, to finalise arrangements for consultation on the Core Strategy Preferred Options document.

CHRIS COUSINS
Head of Sustainable Development

Background papers: Responses to Minerals and Waste Issues and Options Consultation Paper, June 2006 (E&E SPED Group, Speedwell House, file no. 15.1.2.3.10.2.1)

Contact Officer: Peter Day, Minerals and Waste Policy Team Leader Tel: (01865) 815544

November 2006

Return to TOP