Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Environment

Forward Plan Ref: 2018/102

Contact: Kevin Broughton, Principal Minerals Officer, Tel: 07979 704458

Report by Director for Planning & Place (CA11).

The Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan: Part 1 – Core Strategy was adopted by the Council on 12 September 2017. The Core Strategy states that Part 2 of the Plan – Site Allocations will be prepared after the Core Strategy. A programme for the Site Allocations Plan is set out in the latest (ninth) revision of the Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Development Scheme which was approved by the Cabinet on 22 January 2019. The target date for adoption of the Site Allocations Plan is November 2020.

Following public consultation on site options (Issues and Options consultation document), took place from 8 August to 3 October 2018, we appointed consultants Adams Hendry to undertake informed site assessments of all the nominated sites.

In regards the nominated waste site assessments, Adams Hendry drew conclusions and made a number of recommendations from which we have drawn the reasonable alternatives.      In the case of the minerals sites, the assessments by Adams Hendry reached conclusions on each of the sites but did not undertake the comparisons and the recommendations as to which sites should be allocated in the Sites Plan.

Officers have now concluded the reasonable alternatives and the preferred options for the mineral sites. A summary of these findings with officer comments, are contained within Annex 1 and 2 of this report. The OCC officer comments are to be read as a whole in reaching a judgement as to the suitability for allocation.  The views of The Minerals and Waste Cabinet Advisory Group (CAG) have also informed this report.

The next stage of the Plan preparation is consultation on the preferred sites and the reasonable alternatives. This report sets out the preferred sites and the other reasonable alternatives to form part of the draft minerals and waste local plan for further publlic consultation.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to approve the inclusion of the preferred sites in the draft plan for consultation, and to delegate the final approval of the draft Plan for consultation to the Director of Planning & Place in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment. 

Sharp Sand and Gravel

SG20b – Land between Eynsham and Cassington

SG42 – Nuneham Courtenay

Crushed Rock and Soft Sand

SS12 & CR12 – Land at Chinham Farm (Chinham Hill)

SS18 & CR22 – Hatford West Extension

Waste Sites

011 – Finmere Quarry, Finmere

026 – Whitehill Quarry, Burford

103 – Lakeside Industrial Estate, Standlake

229 – Shellingford Quarry, Shellingford / Stanford in the Vale

249B – High Cogges Farm, Witney

274 – Moorend Lane Farm, Thame

279 – Rear of Ford Dealership, Ryecote Lane

287 – Ardley Fields, Ardley

289 – Overthorpe Industrial Estate, Banbury”

Recommendations agreed.

The Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan: Part 1 – Core Strategy was adopted by the Council on 12 September 2017. The Core Strategy states that Part 2 of the Plan – Site Allocations will be prepared after the Core Strategy. A programme for the Site Allocations Plan is set out in the latest (ninth) revision of the Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Development Scheme which was approved by the Cabinet on 22 January 2019. The target date for adoption of the Site Allocations Plan is November 2020.

Following public consultation on site options and site assessments of all the nominated sites Cabinet considered a report that set out the preferred sites and the other reasonable alternatives to form part of the draft minerals and waste local plan for further public consultation.

Councillor John Sanders, Shadow Cabinet Member for Environment expressed concern over the programme scheduling and hoped that it would be possible to get Part 2 adopted.

Councillor Yvonne Constance, Cabinet Member for Environment, introduced the contents of the report and moved the recommendations.

Councillor Lorraine Lindsay-Gale was pleased that this point had been reached. She noted that one of the sites was in her Division but that it would not threaten local communities if access and routing agreements were sufficiently robust.

RESOLVED:             to approve the inclusion of the preferred sites in the draft plan for consultation, and to delegate the final approval of the draft Plan for consultation to the Director of Planning & Place in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment. 

Sharp Sand and Gravel

SG20b – Land between Eynsham and Cassington

SG42 – Nuneham Courtenay

Crushed Rock and Soft Sand

SS12 & CR12 – Land at Chinham Farm (Chinham Hill)

SS18 & CR22 – Hatford West Extension

Waste Sites

011 – Finmere Quarry, Finmere

026 – Whitehill Quarry, Burford

103 – Lakeside Industrial Estate, Standlake

229 – Shellingford Quarry, Shellingford / Stanford in the Vale

249B – High Cogges Farm, Witney

274 – Moorend Lane Farm, Thame

279 – Rear of Ford Dealership, Ryecote Lane

287 – Ardley Fields, Ardley

289 – Overthorpe Industrial Estate, Banbury”