Agenda item

Cabinet Member: Growth & Infrastructure

Forward Plan Ref: 2010/058

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

Report by Head of Sustainable Development (CA 6).

A review of the sub-regional apportionment of land-won aggregates in Policy M3 of the South East Plan is being carried out.  In March 2009 consultation was carried out on proposals by the South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA) for a revision of Policy M3, including a revised apportionment.  Following an Examination in Public held in October 2009, the Secretary of State has now published proposed changes to Policy M3 for consultation.  The apportionment sets the amount of provision that should be made for mineral working in the Minerals and Waste Development Framework.  It is therefore appropriate for the County Council to make a response.  The consultation closes on 1 June 2010.

The proposed new sand and gravel apportionment is based on a regional total of 11.12 million tonnes a year.  This is less than the government guideline figure but not as low as the figure proposed by SEERA.  The proposed sand and gravel apportionment for Oxfordshire is 2.10 million tonnes a year, which is 15% more than the current figure, and represents an increased share of regional supply.  This would increase the Oxfordshire apportionment to a higher level than since the early 1990s.  Actual production has been below this level since 1990 and has been steadily declining since 1998.  This proposed increase in the apportionment is unnecessary, inappropriate and unacceptable.  The proposed new crushed rock apportionment for Oxfordshire is 0.66 million tonnes a year, which is significantly less than the current figure and is acceptable.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

(a)               agree the following response to the consultation by the Government Office for the South East on the Secretary of State’s Proposed Changes to Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East (South East Plan) Policy M3 – Primary land-won aggregates and sub-regional apportionment:

(i)                 the County Council objects to the proposed changes to the sand and gravel figures in Policy M3, particularly the regional figure of 11.12 million tonnes a year and the Oxfordshire figure of 2.10 million tonnes a year, for the reasons set out in paragraph 20 of this report;

(ii)               the County Council supports the proposed changes to the crushed rock figures in Policy M3;

(iii)             the County Council supports the other proposed changes to the wording of Policy M3, in particular the inclusion of a statement that apportionments will be subject to testing of deliverability in the preparation of MWDFs;

(b)              authorise the Head of Sustainable Development, in consultation with   the Cabinet Member for Growth and Infrastructure, to submit a response to the consultation based on this report.

Cabinet considered a response (CA6) to the consultation by the Government Office for the South East on the Secretary of State’s Proposed Changes to the Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East (South East Plan) Policy M3 – Primary land-won aggregates and sub-regional apportionment.

Councillor Anne Purse supported the points made in the report and the recommendations. She commented that it did not appear fair for Oxfordshire to have increased totals whilst the South East saw reductions and that the approach referred to in paragraph 16 of not protecting anything below national designations was a threat to bio-diversity.

Councillor Charles Mathew spoke in support of the recommendations, thanked the Cabinet Member and officers for their work and spoke in particular about the level of production against the national annual usage and sustainability issues connected with transporting the additional materials outside Oxfordshire.

Councillor Lorraine Lindsay-Gale broadly supported the recommendations and referred to the threat to parishes in her Division of Dorchester and Berinsfield. She supported the views of local groups PAGE and BaCHporT. She stated that she would wish to see an even lower figure being pursued than the 1.58m tonnes/annum to reflect supply and demand. She wished to see the County do its own predictive modelling and to become one of the leading recyclers of aggregates.

Julie Hankey, Oxfordshire Upper Thames Residents Against Gravel Extraction (OUTRAGE) spoke endorsing the report, commenting that the increase was unsustainable in travel miles and that the proposals would destroy archaeology and diverse habitats.

John Taylor - Parishes Against Gravel Extraction (PAGE) referred to the impact on the quality of life for residents of Dorchester on Thames. The Group had spoken to people in local parishes who had raised key questions such as the basis for the raise to 2.1m tonnes when demand was less; why Oxfordshire would see an increase when other areas in the South East would see reductions and why the County was not developing a forecasting system.

David Scott - Burcott and Clifton Hamden protection of river Thames (BaCHporT) supported the points already made and highlighted that the increase was against a backdrop of decreasing demand. He queried the validity of Option 3 and commented that it was the County’s duty to seek a reduction in apportionment.

The Cabinet Member for Growth and Infrastructure responded to the comments made and drew attention to the additional point to be included in the response.

RESOLVED:             to:

(a)               agree the following response to the consultation by the Government Office for the South East on the Secretary of State’s Proposed Changes to Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East (South East Plan) Policy M3 – Primary land-won aggregates and sub-regional apportionment:

(i)                  the County Council objects to the proposed changes to the sand and gravel figures in Policy M3, particularly the regional figure of 11.12 million tonnes a year and the Oxfordshire figure of 2.10 million tonnes a year, for the reasons set out in paragraph 20 of this report;

(ii)               the County Council believes that, in the light of the proposed reduction in the regional sand and gravel figure, the Oxfordshire apportionment should be reduced from the current level of 1.82 million tonnes a year; the County Council supported the lower figure of 1.58 million tonnes a year for Oxfordshire proposed by SEERA in March 2009.

(iii)             the County Council supports the proposed changes to the crushed rock figures in Policy M3;

the County Council supports the other proposed changes to the wording of Policy M3, in particular the inclusion of a statement that apportionments will be subject to testing of deliverability in the preparation of Mineral and Waste Development Frameworks;

(b)               authorise the Head of Sustainable Development, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Growth and Infrastructure, to submit a response to the consultation based on this report.