Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Environment

Forward Plan Ref: 2013/132

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

Report by Deputy Director for Environment & Economy – Strategy & Infrastructure Planning (CA7).

The County Council has a statutory duty to prepare a new Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Plan, to provide an effective planning strategy and policies for the supply of minerals and management of waste in the county, consistent with environmental, social and economic needs. The Plan must be prepared in accordance with current government policy in the National Planning Policy Framework (March 2012) and having due regard to the emerging new National Planning Practice Guidance.

 The Cabinet on 26 November 2013 approved a revised Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Development Scheme (Fifth Revision) 2013, setting out the following programme for preparing the Minerals and Waste Local Plan:

•Public consultation on draft revised Plan – Feb/March 2014;

•Consultation on proposed submission document – Oct/Nov 2014;

•Submit Plan to Secretary of State for examination – March 2015;

•Examination hearings – July 2015;

•Inspector’s report – October 2015;

•Council adopts Plan – December 2015.

This report recommends a draft Minerals and Waste Local Plan: Core Strategy for public consultation.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to

(a)          agree the draft Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan: Core Strategy at Annex 1, subject to final detailed amendment, updating and editing, as a draft for consultation;

(b)          authorise the Deputy Director for Environment & Economy (Strategy & Infrastructure Planning) to:

(i)            carry out final detailed amendment, updating and editing of the draft Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan: Core Strategy, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment;

(ii)          publish the draft Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan: Core Strategy for public consultation.

The County Council has a statutory duty to prepare a new Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Plan, to provide an effective planning strategy and policies for the supply of minerals and management of waste in the county, consistent with environmental, social and economic needs. The Plan must be prepared in accordance with current government policy in the National Planning Policy Framework (March 2012) and having due regard to the emerging new National Planning Practice Guidance.

 In line with the revised Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Development Scheme (Fifth Revision) 2013, setting out the programme for preparing the Minerals and Waste Local Plan Cabinet had before them a report recommending a draft Minerals and Waste Local Plan: Core Strategy for public consultation.

Councillor Purse, spoke in respect of the findings of the Cabinet Advisory Group who she felt had done a good job of scrutinising the documents. Although not surprisingly unable to come to any conclusions about specific areas they had reached a view on the balance between West Oxfordshire and elsewhere. She also asked that in the final consultation documents the maps be in colour. She highlighted specific recommendations made by the Group and included in the draft before Cabinet. She commented that it would be helpful for the Plan to be tied back to Planning & Regulation Committee in some way. Councillor Hudspeth thanked Councillor Purse and the cabinet Advisory Group for their work.

Councillor John Sanders, Shadow Cabinet member for Environment, queried the role of the Cabinet Advisory Group and was informed that many of their recommendations had been included in the draft Plan before Cabinet.

Councillor Mathew welcomed the amendments to the earlier versions of the Plan but highlighted a number of aspects he felt still needed to be addressed. These included the need for: expert witnesses to be paid for by the applicant but chosen by the County Council to preserve independence; an annual review of fees; enforcement and time limits on the start date following approval.

Mr Taylor, Chairman of PAGE, commented that the descriptive map at Figure 12 was impossible to interpret and felt that there was a lack of certainty about specific sites. He still felt that the balance referred to between North and South was vague. Table 12 was unclear and he had a query regarding the Caversham and Gill Mill areas. He was concerned that the consultation document would blight large areas and alarm residents.

Councillor Nimmo Smith, Cabinet Member for Environment in proposing the Plan for consultation emphasised that material could only be dug out where it existed and that therefore areas not in the Plan today were not ruled out forever.

During discussion Cabinet Members in welcoming the balance set out in the report considered the definition of the term broad balance, with some expressing the view that this should mean that 50:50 was the aspiration whilst other suggested a wider interpretation. There was discussion about the removal of some areas from Figure 12 and it was agreed that the Plan be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5