Minerals Plan update – December 2018
The consultation on the Warwickshire Minerals Plan (Publication 2018) is now closed. Any comments after 5pm on Wednesday 12 December will not be accepted. The next stage of the plan process is to consider the representations duly made prior to submitting the plan to the Planning Inspectorate for an examination in public.
Minerals Plan Update – October 2018
The Warwickshire Minerals Publication Plan Consultation will start on Wednesday 31 October for a period of six weeks ending on Wednesday 12 December at 5pm. Comments after that date cannot be accepted.
Advertisements have been placed in the local press and consultation letters and site notices are currently being sent out which will give full details of how to respond to the consultation.
Copies of the documents can be viewed from 31 October at the:
- website link here (including guidance on how to make representations)
- the County Council offices at Shire Hall, Warwick;
- the offices of the five Borough and District councils in the county;
- and at county libraries.
Minerals Plan Update – 10th August 2018
The Warwickshire Minerals Plan (Publication Plan) was presented to Cabinet on 24th July 2018 and Full Council 26th July 2018. It was resolved that the Council approve the submission of the proposed Minerals Plan to the Secretary of State for independent examination following a second Publication consultation of six weeks in September / October 2018.
Minerals Plan Update – 16th July 2018
The Warwickshire Minerals Plan (Publication 2018) will be presented to Cabinet on 24th July 2018 and Full Council on 26th July 2018. Cabinet is being recommended to request that Full Council give authority to submit the Plan to the Secretary of State for independent examination.
Before this can take place, the Plan will need to be published to allow communities and other interested parties to make comments on whether the Plan is sound and legally compliant.
The comments will be considered and then a decision be made as to whether any modifications are required before submission to the inspector for examination. Set out below is a draft timeline for the final stages of the preparation of the Plan which Cabinet and Full Council are being asked to approve.
| Activity | Draft timeline |
|---|---|
| Publication Plan Consultation | September/October 2018 |
| Closure of Consultation | October/November 2018 |
| Submission of Plan | Spring 2019 |
| Examination in Public | Summer 2019 |
| Inspectors Report | Autumn/Winter 2019 |
| Plan Adopted | Spring 2020 |
Minerals Plan Update – 1st June 2018
To ensure we have reviewed all of the feedback and assessed all of the information received from local communities now before us, we will be taking a report back to Cabinet on the 24th July 2018
| Activity | Draft timeline |
|---|---|
| Report back to Cabinet on revised plan (and any other relevant information) | July 2018 |
| 6 week consultation period | September 2018 – October 2018 |
Minerals Plan Update – 28th March 2018
The County Council has received a significant amount of feedback on its minerals local plan consultation. The authority is listening to the concerns of local communities and carefully considering what has been presented particularly on the sites. Local elections are being held on the 3rd May 2018, in Rugby Borough and Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council and there are a number of sites being promoted in the minerals local plan in the Rugby area.
The authority thinks that in this situation it would be sensible to delay consideration of the next stage of the Minerals Plan until the Cabinet meeting on the 14th June 2018. We need to get this right. The authority’s apologises for any inconvenience this may cause.
Further updates will be placed onto the WCC web pages as and when they become available.
| Activity | Draft timeline |
|---|---|
| Report back to Cabinet on revised plan (and any other relevant information) | June 2018 |
| 6 week consultation period | September 2018 – October 2018 |
Minerals Plan update – February 2018
A report was presented to Cabinet on 10th October 2017, with a summary of the comments received during the 2016 Publication Consultation of the Minerals Plan. A Sand and Gravel Topic Paper was also presented, which sets out the calculations and plan requirement figures on which the plan will proceed. It was therefore resolved:
‘that Cabinet request the Joint Managing Director (Communities) to prepare a proposed Minerals Local Plan on the 2017 10 year sales average and to present a further report to enable Cabinet to decide whether to publish the plan for consultation with a view to its submission to the Secretary of State.’
Timeline for when officers will report back to Cabinet next year and estimated date of next consultation:
| Activity | Draft timeline |
|---|---|
| Re-assess site assessment methodology and update as appropriate | October 2017 – December 2017 |
| Carry out sites assessment | December 2017 – January 2018 |
| Revise evidence based, this includes the Sustainability Appraisal and Habitat Regulations Assessment | January 2018 – February 2018 |
| Report back to cabinet on revised plan (and any other relevant information) | May 2018 |
| 6 week consultation period | June 2018 – July 2018 |
Minerals Plan Update – September 2017
During the Publication consultation process of the Minerals Plan a large number of representations were received telling us what our communities and other stakeholders thought of the plan. We need to report these comments and their implications for the plan back to Cabinet in October.
A copy of all of the documentation and supporting documents will be available to view five working days before Cabinet which is on the 10th October 2017.
Warwickshire minerals plan 2016 publication consultation – schedule of responses
Further updates will be placed onto the WCC web pages as and when they become available.
Consultation on the Warwickshire Mineral Plan Publication 2016
Thank you to all those that made representations on the latest Warwickshire Minerals Plan consultation.
Please be aware that the consultation is now closed. Unfortunately, we will not be able to accept any responses beyond the published deadline of 5pm Friday 3rd February 2017. Information and documents relating to the consultation can still be found here.
We are now in the process of acknowledging responses made by email/post within the deadline and checking that they have been submitted correctly.
We will update this webpage on the Warwickshire Minerals Plan progress. The next stage will be to report responses on the consultation back to Members.
Update – Friday 13 October 2016
Next stage of consultation
A copy of the Minerals Local Plan is available on the link below. Please note that this will be subject to minor alterations and the final Publication version will be available when the consultations commence.
Forthcoming consultations
The Minerals Local Plan (Publication document) was presented at Cabinet on Thursday 6th October 2016 to seek approval to consult under Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012. Consultation is scheduled to take place between Friday 9th December 2016 through to Friday 3rd February 2017. We will be consulting beyond the minimum 6 week requirement to take account of the Christmas holiday period and give people additional time to comment on the Plan.
When consultation commences, your comments will be invited as to whether you consider that the Minerals Local Plan (Publication) is legally compliant, meets the tests of soundness and complies with the duty to cooperate.
Tests of soundness
Warwickshire County Council (WCC) considers this to be a sound plan which it would like to see adopted. The Minerals Local Plan Publication document has sought to address the issues raised during previous consultations and WCC considers it is in conformity with national planning policy and is underpinned by a range of technical evidence.
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) para.182 sets out that in order to be ‘sound’ a Local Plan should pass the following four tests:
- Be positively prepared – the plan should be prepared based on a strategy which seeks to meet objectively assessed development and infrastructure requirements, including unmet requirements from neighbouring authorities where it is reasonable to do so and consistent with achieving sustainable
development. - Be justified – the plan should be the most appropriate strategy, when considered against the reasonable alternatives, based on proportionate evidence.
- Be effective – plan should be deliverable over its period and based on effective joint working on cross-boundary strategic priorities.
- Be consistent with national policy – plan should enable the delivery of sustainable development in accordance with the policies in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
Legal compliance and duty to cooperate
The Minerals Local Plan (Publication) must meet the legal requirements under Section 20(5)(a) and the duty to cooperate under section 20(5)(c) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended). To be legally compliant, the Local Plan should:
- Be in line with the Local Development Scheme (LDS)
- Be in accordance with the Statement of Community Involvement (SCI)
- Have been published in accordance with the Regulations and made available at council offices and on the WCC website
- Be supported by a Sustainability Appraisal (SA) report
To meet the duty to cooperate, WCC must demonstrate how it has cooperated with adjoining Local Planning Authorities and other public bodies to maximise effectiveness of strategic planning policies within the Minerals Local Plan. Further information and copies of the relevant documents can be found on WCC website.
Next steps
Consultation will commence Tuesday 6th December 2016 until Tuesday 31st January 2017. The website will be updated and include further information on how you can make representations. If you have any queries please contact: Planning Strategy – planningstrategy@warwickshire.gov.uk or 01926 412391
Minerals Plan Update – (26.08.16)
Public consultations were carried out on the Minerals Plan – Preferred Option and Policies 2015 (consultation dates: 19th October 2015 – 4th January 2016). We received a high number of responses – thank you for your comments.
In May 2015, we also consulted on two additional sites (Shawell and Ryton-on-Dunsmore) that had been submitted by promoters/landowners for consideration as part of the Preferred Options Consultation – (consultation dates: 5th May 2016 – 17th June 2016).
We have taken into account comments received on both consultations and will upload these comments in due course. A summary of consultation will be tabled along with the Report and the revised Minerals Plan on 6th October Warwickshire County Council Cabinet. The report will seek approval to consult on the Publication (Pre Submission Draft) of the Minerals Plan for a period of 6 weeks at the end of October 2016.
This stage provides an opportunity to view the plan and comment on the Test of Soundness as required by the National Planning Policy Framework 2012 and whether the plan is legally compliant. There are 4 Tests of Soundness against which the Publication Minerals Plan will be assessed by the Planning Inspectorate.
A sound document will be:
- Positively prepared – the plan should be prepared based on a strategy which seeks to meet objectively assessed development and infrastructure requirements, including unmet requirements from neighbouring authorities where it is reasonable to do so and consistent with achieving sustainable development;Justified – the plan should be the most appropriate strategy, when considered against the reasonable alternatives, based on proportionate evidence;
- Effective – the plan should be deliverable over its period and based on effective joint working on cross-boundary strategic priorities; and
- Consistent with national policy – the plan should enable the delivery of sustainable development in accordance with the policies in the Minerals Plan.
The final plan stage is Submission to the Secretary of State which is likely to be in summer 2017 prior to an Examination in Public soon afterwards in front of an independent planning inspector. The final timetable will be set out in the Revised Minerals and Waste Development Scheme which is also to be agreed at Cabinet on 6th October 2016.
Statement of Community Involvement (SCI)
.
The Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) was adopted by Warwickshire County Council’s Cabinet on 8 September 2016. This document takes into account further updates to planning legislation as well as developments in consultation practices and internal procedures.
Warwickshire County Council is required to produce a new Minerals Development Framework to replace the 1995 Minerals Local Plan. This new plan will identify where new minerals sites should be located, and set out the policies to assess new minerals development proposals over the next 15 years.
The Minerals Development Framework consists of a number of planning documents. The Minerals and Waste Development Scheme (MWDS) sets out which planning documents we intend to produce and gives the timescales and the Minerals Plan (previously called the ‘Minerals Core Strategy’) will be the principal planning document setting out the locational strategy for where new mineral development should be located and the policies that will guide new minerals development.
Minerals Plan next stage – Local Aggregates Assessment and ‘Preferred Option and Policies’ consultation
The Council is now producing the new Warwickshire Minerals Plan. Government guidance requires that Mineral Planning Authorities (MPAs) should plan for a steady and adequate supply of minerals including the provision of certain amounts of ‘aggregates’ i.e. sand and gravel and crushed rock. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) requires that MPAs should prepare a Local Aggregate Assessment (LAA) based on a rolling average of 10 years past sales and other relevant local information.
The Council has already produced a LAA (2014) but needs to annually review the document to ensure that an steady and adequate supply of sand and gravel and crushed rock is planned for over the plan period ( 2017 – 2032).
A new LAA has been produced in draft form (2015) and this will be circulated to the West Midlands Aggregate Working Party (WMAWP) for comments. As the 2015 LAA will influence the emerging Minerals Plan, we are keen to receive comments from any interested stakeholders on the document during the the consultation on the Preferred Option and Policies.
The next step is for the Council to consult on its ‘Preferred Option and Policies’ consultation document. This includes:
- the locational strategy for new minerals development in the County
- the draft development plan policies (including policies on sand and gravel, crushed rock, cement raw materials, coal, building stone, brick clay and unconventional hydrocarbon technologies such as shale gas ‘fracking’, coal bed methane and underground coal gasification)
- allocations for sand and gravel extraction only (following the Council’s ‘Request for sand and gravel sites’ exercise in Dec 2013)
The Preferred Option and Policies document has now been approved for consultation and the consultation commences on Monday 19th October and finishes at 5.00pm on Friday 4th December 2015. The documents which form the consultation comprise the following:
- Draft Minerals Plan – Preferred Option and Policies (PDF, 44.61 MB)
- Local Aggregates Assessment (PDF, 6.81 MB)
- Site Assessment Methodology for the Allocation of Sand and Gravel Sites (PDF, 2.52 MB)
- Sustainability Appraisal Report (PDF, 15.62 MB)
- Habitat Regulations Assessment (PDF, 15.41 MB)
WCC welcomes your comments on the consultation.
If you have not previously received updates on the Minerals Core Strategy/Minerals Plan and would like to be added to the Council’s Minerals Development Framework consultation database, please contact a member of the Planning Policy team on 01926 41 2391 or email planningstrategy@warwickshire.gov.uk.
Minerals Plan update newsletter – October 2013 (PDF, 5.25 MB)Minerals Plan – Request for Sand and Gravel Sites letter (Dec 2013) (PDF, 75.31 KB)
Request for Sand and Gravel Sites Pro Forma (DOC, 99.5 KB)
Previous stage – Minerals Core Strategy Revised spatial options consultation
We previously consulted on the ‘Minerals Core Strategy – Revised Spatial Options document . The consultation ran from the 19th February 2009 to 8th May 2009.
Minerals Core Strategy Revised Spatial Options (low res) – Feb 2009 (PDF, 11.13 MB)This consultation sought comment on:
- 3 ‘Spatial options’ proposed for siting mineral extraction within the County until 2026.
- Key issues and policy principles for mineral development that have been re-assessed from previous consultations.
- Sites that have been submitted as potential ‘strategic sites’ for inclusion in the minerals core strategy.
Comments were submitted:
- Through the online consultation portal.
- By completing a questionnaire
- By emailing planningstrategy@warwickshire.gov.uk.
The consultation period is now over. All consultation responses submitted are available to view on our consultation portal page.
Previous work
More…
A preliminary consultation on the minerals core strategy ended on 3rd April 2006. The views expressed in this consultation were considered in writing the Minerals Core Strategy Issues and Options document.
The formal 6 week consultation on the Issues and Options paper ended on 8th September 2006.
Minerals Core Strategy Issues and Options July 2006 (PDF, 616.46 KB)The representations submitted during the 6 week period were used to inform the preparation of the Preferred Options and Proposals document. The representations on the issues and opinion paper may be viewed at the Warwickshire County Council offices. If you wish to view them then please contact us.
The six week consultation period for the preferred options paper ended on Wednesday 14 March 2007. You were asked to give your views on the preferred options set out in the paper. The comments received during the Preferred Options consultation have been taken into account and will be used to inform the next stages of the plan.
Minerals Core Strategy Preferred Options January 2007 (PDF, 4.07 MB)Consultation on the submission draft paper was due to begin in June 2007. This was delayed, as we were required to produce a Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA) prior to submission. Furthermore, following revised National policy guidance in June 2008, it was agreed with Government Office West Midlands that in order to deliver the strategy for Warwickshire it would be necessary to consider including ‘strategic’ sites in the core strategy, as well as consulting on spatial options for locating minerals development. This was a major change in direction and therefore required more detailed evidence and site information to be in place before the core strategy was submitted for examination.
A summary paper and request for sites document requested that landowners and developers came forward with potential ‘strategic’ sites for consideration as potential allocations in the minerals development framework. These submissions were then included in the revised spatial options document, consulted on between 19th February 2009 and 3rd April 2009.
Minerals Core Strategy Summary Document and Request for Sites (PDF, 4.25 MB)Minerals site specific allocations
More…
A preliminary consultation on the minerals core strategy ended on 3rd April 2006. The views expressed in this consultation were considered in writing the Minerals Core Strategy Issues and Options document.
The formal 6 week consultation on the Issues and Options paper ended on 8th September 2006.
Minerals Core Strategy Issues and Options July 2006 (PDF, 616.46 KB)The representations submitted during the 6 week period were used to inform the preparation of the Preferred Options and Proposals document. The representations on the issues and opinion paper may be viewed at the Warwickshire County Council offices. If you wish to view them then please contact us.
The six week consultation period for the preferred options paper ended on Wednesday 14 March 2007. You were asked to give your views on the preferred options set out in the paper. The comments received during the Preferred Options consultation have been taken into account and will be used to inform the next stages of the plan.
Minerals Core Strategy Preferred Options January 2007 (PDF, 4.07 MB)Consultation on the submission draft paper was due to begin in June 2007. This was delayed, as we were required to produce a Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA) prior to submission. Furthermore, following revised National policy guidance in June 2008, it was agreed with Government Office West Midlands that in order to deliver the strategy for Warwickshire it would be necessary to consider including ‘strategic’ sites in the core strategy, as well as consulting on spatial options for locating minerals development. This was a major change in direction and therefore required more detailed evidence and site information to be in place before the core strategy was submitted for examination.
A summary paper and request for sites document requested that landowners and developers came forward with potential ‘strategic’ sites for consideration as potential allocations in the minerals development framework. These submissions were then included in the revised spatial options document, consulted on between 19th February 2009 and 3rd April 2009.
Minerals Core Strategy Summary Document and Request for Sites (PDF, 4.25 MB)