County Durham Plan Annual Monitoring Report 2014/2015

County Durham Plan

Annual Monitoring Report

2014/2015

1. Introduction

Background

This document is the sixth Annual Monitoring Report to be produced by Durham County Council as a Unitary Council for the County Durham area. As Local Planning Authority the County Council has a duty to prepare and keep under review a statutory development plan for its area. Such a plan contains the relevant planning policies and proposals which set out priorities and guide future development and growth in the County in a sustainable manner.

In the interests of clarity the current local development plan for the County comprises of the parts of the individual Local Plans of the eight former local authorities which were ‘saved’ under transitional arrangements until such a time that they are superseded by a new development plan for the County.

The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 required every Local Planning Authority in England to submit an Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) by 31st December to the Secretary of State. The document covers the period 1st April 2014 to 31st March 2015 and includes information on the progress of the Local Development Framework and how policies in the Local Development Documents are performing. The Localism Act 2011 removed the statutory requirement to submit an AMR to the Government after December 2011. The Coalition government is currently introducing a number of fundamental changes to planning legislation and policy. These documents will have implications for the future of Annual Monitoring Reports.

The Localism Act 2011

The Localism Act was enacted on 15th November 2011. The Act also revokes the Regional Spatial Strategy and Local Development Framework: Core Output Indicators – Update 2/2008 (CLG, 2008) documents. The implications of this are that the Regional Spatial Strategy is no longer a statutory planning document and the housing targets set therein are no longer imposed on local authorities and similarly, the core output indicators list is no longer required to be monitored after December 2011. The Development Plan will therefore now comprise the County Durham Plan and Neighbourhood Plans prepared by local communities. Nearly 20 Neighbourhood Plans have been approved across County Durham (December, 2014).

At the time of writing the RSS remains in force, though the Government’s intention to revoke RSS documents is clear, and we have prepared and submitted the County Durham Plan on that basis during April 2014. In preparing the AMR 2014/15, we have taken into account the relevant evidence that was used to prepare RSS supplemented as needed by up to date local evidence. The Localism Act also introduced a ‘Duty to Co-operate’, requiring the Council to work with neighbouring authorities on cross boundary planning issues and issues of common concern.

The Act allows local planning authorities to choose indicators and targets to include in their AMR, that best relate to local circumstances and priorities in their area. Local Authorities are now required to report progress to their local communities rather than to the Government and this change in focus is likely to make the AMR a more locally responsive document.

The National Planning Policy Framework

The NPPF seeks to streamline existing national policy documentation into one concise publication, replacing Planning Policy Guidance notes (PPGs) and Planning Policy Statements (PPSs). The document essentially reiterates existing national planning policy whilst identifying new steers on issues such as sustainable development and housing land supply. It is envisaged that the planning process will be more simple and, therefore, easier to understand and use.

The National Planning Policy Framework (2012) states that each local authority should produce a Local Plan for its area which can be reviewed in whole or in part. Additional planning documents should only be used where justified. This is different from the previous Local Development Framework system with its suite of documents with an overarching Core Strategy. It does however, reiterate that planning should be genuinely ‘plan led’ when determining planning applications.

The Act requires that each local planning authority in England produces a Local Plan covering a 15 year period that takes into account longer term objectives. Local Plans will be kept up to date by regular reviews to ensure that any changes in local priorities or circumstances are reflected in the document. To help keep a Local Plan up to date a robust evidence base needs to be maintained for this purpose.

Cross Boundary Working – The Duty to Cooperate

One further change brought about by the Localism Act is the introduction of the Duty to Cooperate with neighbouring authorities in preparing our plans. County Durham borders a number of County, District and Unitary Councils. The Council takes this responsibility very seriously and regular liaison meetings have been held with neighbouring Councils to ensure that issues of common concern continue to be taken into account. Notably, the Council has developed working groups with the Tyne and Wear authorities and also those in Tees Valley, where we have our closest interaction on planning matters.

Existing Planning Policy Framework

Until adoption of a local plan, the AMR is, to some degree, still tied to reporting information at the former district and county levels although wherever possible information has been aggregated to the County Durham level. The presentation of the document will also move away from reporting on the geographies of the former local authorities and move towards reporting on the new geography of Durham.

Existing Planning Policy Framework

Monitoring and Implementation Framework

The monitoring and implementation framework is fundamental to ensuring the achievement of sustainable development across County Durham. The County Durham Plan will need to be flexible to respond to changing circumstances. This can only be determined through effective monitoring of the progress in implementing policies.

Monitoring of current planning policies provides the Council and third parties with information on the performance of policies and identifies the key changes, challenges or opportunities within the County. It enables an assessment to be made as to whether current policies are achieving their objectives and, in particular, delivering sustainable development. Monitoring activity also enables the identification of any unintended consequences of policies, whether the assumptions and objectives that the policies are based upon are still relevant and if the policy targets are being achieved. In turn, the findings highlight where adjustments and revisions to policies are required and inform the development of further new policies.

Key Indicators in this Document

For the purposes of this monitoring report it has been decided to focus upon the NCOIs (National Core Output Indicators). The National Core Output Indicators are a set of 18 mandatory indicators required of all councils. This AMR reports on these indicators (see section 3).

2. The County in context

County Durham is the largest local authority in the North East region and the sixth largest in England, lying at the heart of north east England with Teesside to the south, Tyne and Wear and Northumberland to the north. It covers a total area of 862 square miles and borders Tyne and Wear, North Yorkshire, Cumbria and Northumberland. County Durham has high quality landscapes rich in wildlife, attractive countryside, villages, historic towns and buildings and a restored coastline. The environment is one of the County’s key assets.

Whilst the County covers a large area, its economy is more modest in scale. It is home to around 517,0001 people of whom over 228,0002 are in employment (compared to around half a million in neighbouring Tyne and Wear). The County has around 16,400 businesses employing 167,0003 employees. Overall the value of economic output is around £7.8 billion.4

Lying at the heart of the North East region with conurbations to the north and south, County Durham is adjacent to the Tyne and Wear and Tees Valley labour markets. The County has net out-commuting change in the region of 30,961 people on a daily basis.5

County Durham shares many of the problems of the North of England, arising from a long term pattern of sectoral change and industrial decline. It also has unique challenges arising from its legacy of scattered industrial settlements, and its lack of large urban areas to drive growth. Countering these, though, are the unique environments of Durham City and the Durham Dales and the key strengths of Durham University. The County, though commonly regarded as a predominantly rural area, varies in character from remote and sparsely populated areas in the west, to the former coalfield communities in the centre and the east, where villages tend to accommodate thousands rather than hundreds. Around 90% of the population lives east of the A68 road in approximately half of the County by area.

Each of the 12 major towns in the County act as service centres for the surrounding communities, providing employment, shopping and key day to day services. The role of the towns in County Durham varies widely. Some provide vital services to isolated communities whilst others have grown to provide a much wider range of services for both the town and other communities nearby. Whilst there are over 200 settlements within the County, 94% of the population live within a 5 mile radius of the 12 major towns.

The towns and villages which grew as a result of mining and other heavy industries have concentrations of poor quality private sector housing, with high numbers of older terraced properties in need of investment. Affordable housing issues, previously associated with the more remote communities in the west of the County, as well as Durham City, now extend to all parts of the County.

The 2011 Census indicates the limited diversity in the County’s population compared with larger urban area. 98.2% - White, 0.6% Mixed Multiple Ethnic, 0.6% - Asian, 0.9% - Black & Other Ethnic Group – 0.1%. The largest ethnic minority group in the County are gypsies and

1 ONS,2014, mid-year population estimates 2 Inter Departmental Business Register (ONS) 2015 – Local Units 3 ONS, 2014, Business Register and Employment Survey 4 ONS, Total Workplace GVA 2014 5 Census, 2011

5 travellers, either migrant or settled. County Durham remains a source of economically important minerals to meet society’s development needs. However, it needs to move towards more sustainable methods of managing waste by providing additional facilities for the re-use, recycling and recovery of waste.

The County at a Glance

People

Population 517,000 (2014 ONS mid-year population estimates)

Population composition: 49% of population are male; 51% of population are female (2011 Census of Population for England and Wales)

Age: 22.47%of the population are aged 0-19. 59.52% of the population are aged 20-64. 17.99% of the population are aged 65+. (2011 Census of Population for England and Wales).

Ethnicity: 98.2% White British, 0.67% Other White. 0.08% White and Black Caribbean (Mixed). 0.13% White and Asian (Mixed). 0.08% Other Mixed.

Health: Male life expectancy at birth is 77.5 years. Female life expectancy at birth is 81.4 years. (DCC).

Qualifications: 11.3% people with no qualifications, 81.8% with NVQ1 & above, 66.7% with NVQ2 & above, 47.6% with NVQ3 & above, 24.6% with NVQ4 and above and 6.9% with other qualifications. (ONS Annual Population Survey 2013).

Religious Profile: Christian 72%, Buddhist 0.2%, Hindu 0.1%, Jewish 0%, Muslim, 0.4%, Sikh, 0.1%, Any other religion, 0.3%, No religion, 20.9% and, Religion not stated 5.9%

Car Ownership: 27.2% households with no car or van. 42.9% of households with one car or van. 23.6% of households with 2 or more cars or vans. (Census 2011)

Deprivation: Durham showed some signs of relative improvement in relation to ID (2010) data when measured against other areas of England. 11.4% of County Durham’s population is in the top 10% of the nationally deprived population. 45.4% of County Durham’s population is in the top 30% of nationally deprived population (ID, 2010).

Place

Household Tenure: 65.8% Owner Occupied households. 20.1% Social rented households; 12.6% Private Rented households. 1.2% intermediate households. (Census, 2011).

Household Size: Average household size in Durham is 2.2 people (Census, 2011)

Housing mix: 19.1% Detached; 34% Semi-detached; 29.8% Terraced; 4.1% Flat/maisonette/apartment; 12.4% Bungalow (County Durham Strategic Housing Market Assessment, August, 2012)).

Community Safety: 6 Burglary offences per 1,000 population. 7 Violence against the person per 1,000 population. 5 Theft of motor vehicle offences per 1,000 population. (British Crime Survey 2013 – Durham Police Force Area).

Special designations: 93 Conservation Areas, 3,062 Listed Buildings; 230 Schedules Ancient Monuments; 6 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). 4 Special; Protection Areas (SPAs); 85 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs); 60,000 ha of access and common land; 4 Designated Landscapes for their value at national or international level; 18 Historic Parks and Gardens; 6 National Nature Reserves; 35 Local Nature Reserves; 66 Priority Species and 32 Priority Habitats (DCC, 2009).

Educational provision: County Durham has 288 schools comprising 12 nursery schools; 116 primary schools (of which 70 have nursery places); 37 secondary schools; 12 special schools and 1 pupil referral centre.

Economy

Employment: 73.7% of the working age population are economically active, with an employment rate of 66.2.1% (ONS Annual Population Survey 2013-2014). JSA Claimant Count 2.6% in October 2014 (ONS).

Employment by Occupation: Soc 2010 major groups (1) Managers, Directors and Senior Officials – 9.9%. (2) Professional Occupations –12.7%. (3) Associate Professional and Technical – 10.8%. (4) Administrative and Secretarial – 12.5%. (5) Skilled Trades Occupations – 14.4%. (6) Personal Service Occupations –10.4%. (7) Sales and Customer Service Occupations – 8.7% (8) Process Plant and Mac Operatives –8.9%. (9) Elementary Occupations – 10.6%. (ONS, Annual Population Survey; data series April 2013 – March 2014).

Minerals: County Durham has 31 mineral sites which have planning permission for mineral working. In addition there are also a large number of sites in restoration or aftercare and a number of sites which are classed as dormant where working could resume following the issue of modern working and restoration conditions (DCC).

Waste: County Durham has 15 Households Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs); 29 Waste Transfer Stations (WTS); 14 recycling sites and 12 digesters/composting facilities, together with 7 operational landfill sites (DCC).

3. Monitoring of Indicators

Core Output Indicators

In February 2008, CLG published ‘Regional Spatial Strategy and Local Development Framework Core Output Indicators – Update’. This requires Unitary planning authorities such as Durham County Council to report on 18 indicators in their Annual Monitoring Reports.

Business Development and Town Centres BD1: Total Amount of additional employment floorspace – by type BD2: Total Amount of employment floor space – by type BD3: Employment land available – by type BD4: Total amount of floor space for ‘town centre uses’

BD1: Total Amount of additional employment floorspace – by type

Within the monitoring period 71,783 m2 of B1, B2 and B8 use was given permission but unimplemented.

BD2: Total Amount of employment floor space – by type

Data from the VOA, indicates that County Durham currently has approximately 5.4 million sq. m of Business Floorspace6. The County’s stock comprises of:

 3,594,000 sq.m of industrial floorspace  477, 000 sq.m office floorspace  855, 000 sq. m of retail floorspace  476,000 sq.m of other floorspace

The provision of B class space in the County is currently dominated by the A1 Corridor (35% of stock) followed by the A19 Corridor (20% of stock). As with Durham as a whole, provision in the A1 and A19 Corridors is characterised by a high proportion of industrial floorspace.

Whilst Durham City and its locality accounts for a relatively small proportion of the local authority’s total floorspace it represents the principal office location in the County. Whilst accounting for just 8% of all B use class space in the County, the Durham City market area contains more than one third (35%) of all office floorspace.

BD3: Employment land available – by type

Employment Land available are broken down as follows:

Employment Land Allocations available by B1 (Business), B2 (General Industrial) and B8 (Storage and Distribution) is 297,43ha.

Prestige Employment Land available amounts to 94.19ha

6 2013/11/22, http://www.voa.gov.uk/corporate/statisticalReleases/120517_CRLFloorspace.html, WWW page.

Specific Use Employment Land available is 192.1ha

BD4: Total amount of floor space for ‘town centre uses’

In 2015 the 13 main centres & 3 district centres in County Durham were surveyed as part of the Town Centre Survey. These centres are: Arnison and Mercia, Barnard Castle, Bishop Auckland, Chester-le-Street, Consett, Crook, Durham City, Dragon Lane/ Sherburn Rd, Ferryhill, Newton Aycliffe, Peterlee, Seaham, Shildon, Spennymoor, Stanley and Tindale Crescent.

Data from this survey indicates the County Durham has 757,674 m2 of floor space7 in the 13 main centres & 3 District Centres.

Housing H1 (a): Net additional dwellings – for the reporting & previous years H1 (b): Net additional dwellings – in future years and H2 (c): Managed delivery target H2: Net additional pitches (Gypsy and Traveller) H3: Gross affordable housing completions H4: Housing Quality – Building for Life Assessments

H1 (a): Net additional dwellings for the reporting and previous years

As part of the data cleansing exercise and verifying of the historic completions over the plan period, it has become apparent that there are a number of sites which are known to be built out, or have significantly more completions on the ground than is indicated by records held by the Council’s Building Control Department and statistical returns by the National House Building Council (NHBC).

Local knowledge amongst officers, as well as OS mapping data showing completed housing units on various sites across the County has verified that there is a clear lag between houses being completed, and the Building Control Department receiving formal notification via the building regulations process.

The following option to deal with this issue was adopted:

Sites deemed to be complete on OS Mastermap were entered into the housing completions database assuming the development commenced on site two year after the date planning permission was granted. Units were then assumed to be delivered at a build rate of 20 units per year. Based on this process the following Net completions data have been accepted:

Table 2 Net Additional dwellings in County Durham 2011-2015

2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014 2014/2015

Net Completions 1,244 1,124 1,090 1,164

7 Excluding Residential uses.

Table 2 shows that there has been a steady decline in completions over the last years, with 2014/15 showing the first increase in completions in 3 years. An increase of 74 units or 6.8%.

The economic downturn and ongoing economic uncertainty in the UK have impacted on the delivery of new homes across County Durham. There has also been a change to household formation patterns characterised by adult children living longer with their parents and more young adults living in shared accommodation. This is a product of the restricted availability of mortgage finance, in particular to first time buyers, the difficulty faced by house builder’s in accessing development funding at reasonable interest rates, the overall viability of schemes and the reluctance of some landowners to sell land at depressed land values.

However, there are signs that the housing market may have turned a corner with property tipped to rise by 25% over the next five years in the UK and 17.6% in the North East. The governments help to buy scheme and changes in stamp duty may boost further demand for properties across the country as homes become more affordable to people.8

H1 (b): Net additional dwellings – in future years and H1 (c): Managed delivery target

The NPPF outlines the government’s objective of boosting the supply of housing to deliver a wide choice of high quality homes, widen opportunities for home ownership and create sustainable and mixed communities. Local planning authorities should identify and update annually a supply of specific deliverable sites sufficient to provide five years’ worth of housing against their housing requirements with an additional buffer of 5% to ensure choice and competition in the market for land. Information setting out the supply of specific, deliverable and developable sites is set out within the Council’s Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA). The SHLAA lists all the sites which are anticipated to deliver housing over the plan period.

H2: Net additional pitches (Gypsy and Traveller)

Within this monitoring period there were no new pitches were approved.

H3: Gross affordable housing completions

Table 3 Gross affordable housing completions for the monitoring period

Affordable housing provision 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014 2014/2015

Number of units 219 236 372 141

There was a significant decrease in affordable housing completions for 2014/2015 with a decrease of units 231 or -62.1%. This accounted for 12.3% of all completions.

Affordable housing issues have been more of a problem in the more remote rural areas of Teasdale and Wear dale, which are attractive to second home owners and for retirement,

8 WWW page, http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/mortgageshome/article-1671748/House-prices-What- expect--news-predictions.html, 2014-01-03

10 and, in Durham City, due to private letting for student accommodation with related impacts on local communities and house prices.

H4: Housing Quality – Building for Life Assessments

No data was available in respect of this indicator for the monitoring period, despite the identification of this area as a Core Output Indicator.

Environmental Quality E1: Number of planning permissions granted contrary to Environment Agency advice on flooding and water quality grounds E2: Change in areas of biodiversity importance E3: Renewable Energy Generation

E1: Number of planning permissions granted contrary to Environment Agency advice on flooding and water quality grounds

The County continues to have a good record in complying with flood advice received from the Environment Agency. There have been very few applications approved in the monitoring period where the Agency has felt it necessary to maintain an objection on flood risk grounds. However, there are occasions where the balance of planning considerations leads the planning authority to reach a different view.

There were no applications granted planning permissions in 2014/15 contrary to advice of the Environment Agency.

E2: Change in areas of biodiversity importance

This indicator shows losses or additions to areas of biodiversity importance.

Special Areas of Conservation (SACs)

Six Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) have been designated under the European Union Habitats Directive. The six SACs which are wholly or partly within the County are listed below. There have been no changes to the extent of these designations during the monitoring period. They cover an area of 44,416.9 ha in total.

Table 4 Special Areas of Conservation in County Durham

Site name Castle Eden Dene Moor House – Upper Teasdale North Pennine Moors Durham Coast North Pennine Dales Meadows Thrislington Plantation

Special Protection Areas (SPAs)

Three Special Protection Areas (SPAs) have been designated under the Wild Birds Directive. There have been no changes to the extent of these designations during the monitoring period. They cover an area of 44,983 ha in total.

Table 5 Special Protection Areas (SPAs) in County Durham

Site Name Northumbria Coast North Pennine Moors Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast

Ramsar Sites

Stretches of the Durham Coast are designated as part of two Ramsar Sites, the Northumbria Coast and the Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast Ramsar sites. There have been no changes to the extent of these designations during the monitoring period. They cover an area of 67 ha in total.

International Biosphere Reserves

Moor House – Upper Teesdale National Nature Reserve was designated as the United Kingdom’s first International Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) under its Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MAB) in 1976. The designation covers 7,386 ha. There have been no changes to the extent of this designation during the monitoring period.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs)

There are 85 SSSIs either wholly or partly within County Durham, covering approximately 48,053.41 ha. There have been no changes to the extent of these designations during the monitoring period.

National Nature Reserves (NNRs)

Six SSSIs in County Durham have been designated as National Nature Reserves under section 19 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act. There have been no changes to the extent of these designations during the monitoring period. They cover an area of 5,142.95 ha in total.

Table 6 National Nature Reserves in County Durham

Site name Cassop Vale Durham Coast Castle Eden Dene Moor House-Upper Teesdale Derwent Gorge and Muggleswick Woods Thrislington Plantation

Local Nature Reserves

Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) are statutory designations made by local authorities under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. There are currently 35 LNRs within County Durham. There have been no changes to the extent of these designations during the monitoring period. They cover an area of 776.9 ha in total.

Table 7 Local Nature Reserves in County Durham

Site Name Allensford Woods Daisy Hill Pity Me Carrs Bishop Middleham Deep Dene Raisby Way and Community Wildlife Ferryhill Carrs Trimdon Grange Quarry Garden Greencroft Heath Sacriston Wood

Blackhall Grasslands Harperly and Pea South Stanley Woods Bracken Hill Wood Woods Steeley Hill, Cornsay Colliery Byerley Park Horden Grasslands The Moor Chapman’s Well Kyo Bogs The Whinnies Cong Burn Wood Limekiln Gill Willington North Dene Cow Plantation Little Wood Wingate Quarry Coxhoe Quarry Road Low Newton Junction Crow Trees Noses Point

Local Sites

Durham has 308 (formerly 310) Local Wildlife Sites and 68 Local Geological Sites. The number of Local Wildlife Sites has not changed (no additions or deletions) during 2014-2015.

Local Wildlife Sites in positive management in March 2015 stood at 69 of 378 sites; this is 18.25% of sites.

Condition of sites of biodiversity importance

With the exception of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), no information is currently available to indicate the health of any of these biodiversity sites.

SSSI condition – while information is not available for the end of the monitoring period, the latest information from Natural England indicates that 98.99% of SSSIs in County Durham met the PSA target9 and10, 12.93% were reported as in favourable condition11, 86.06% were unfavourable but recovering12, 0.092% were reported as in unfavourable condition with no change13, 0.09% were reported as in unfavourable condition and declining14 and15.

E3: Renewable Energy Generation

At 31st March 2015 the installed capacity figure in County Durham was 191 MWe. This represented an increase of 13 MWe on the position at 31st March 2014.

9 PSA target: The Government’s Public Service Agreement (PSA) target to have 95% of the SSSI area in favourable or recovering condition by 2010. 10 Meeting the PSA target: if a SSSI unit is currently assessed as being in favourable or unfavourable recovering condition it is described as ‘meeting the PSA target’. 11 Favourable: Favourable condition means that the SSSI land is being adequately conserved and is meeting its ‘conservation objectives’, however, there is scope for the enhancement of these sites. 12 Unfavourable recovering: Unfavourable recovering condition is often known simply as ‘recovering’. SSSI units are not yet fully conserved but all the necessary management measures are in place. Provided that the recovery work is sustained, the SSSI will reach favourable condition in time. In many cases, restoration takes time. Woodland that has been neglected for 50 years will take several years to bring back into a working coppice cycle. A drained peat bog might need 15-20 years to restore a reasonable coverage of sphagnum. 13 Unfavourable no change: This means the special interest of the SSSI unit is not being conserved and will not reach favourable condition unless there are changes to the site management or external pressures. The longer the SSSI unit remains in this poor condition, the more difficult it will be, in general, to achieve recovery. 14 Unfavourable declining; This means that the special interest of the SSSI unit is not being conserved and will not reach favourable condition unless there are changes to site management or external pressures. The site condition is becoming progressively worse. 15 Source: Natural England, Nov. 2010: http:www.english- nature.org.uk/special/sssi/report.cfm?category=C.CF0

The North East Region Renewable Energy Strategy (NERRES) March 2005 anticipated that County Durham would achieve 125 MWe installed capacity by 2010 and a further 35 MWe by 2020 (160 MWe total). The current situation – 206.33MWe operational or approved and 130.7 MWe in planning – is that this 2020 forecast has been reached and is likely to be exceeded.

Following the announcement of the revocation of the RSS by the Coalition government, future renewable energy targets will be established through the County Durham Plan, which will form the basis for monitoring future performance.

Table 8 Operational Renewable Energy Development in County Durham Generation as % Electricity Use

Position at 31 March 2015

Installed Output % Co. Durham % Co. Durham Equivalent no Capacity (GWh p.a.) household electricity use of (MWe) electricity households

FiT (solar) 19.714 16.56 1.92 0.73 4,563.43

Wind 136.92 269.88 33.57 13.77 74,965.89

Bio Energy 21.4 108.71 12.62 4.81 25164.81

Landfill 12.76 78.24 9.08 3.46 18,112

Hydro 0.468 2.2 0.3 0.1 512.4

Total 191.27 475.61 57.44 22.87 123,319

Table 9 Approved Renewable Energy Development in County Durham Generation as % Electricity Use:

Position at 31 March 2015

Approved

Wind 3.19 6.28 0.78 0.32 1744.88

Bio Energy 21 106.68 12.38 4.72 24,694.44

Landfill 0 0 0 0 0

Hydro 1.82 8.6 1.0 0.4 1,992.73

Total 26.007 121.57 14.16 5.42 28,432

Table 10 Operational and Approved Renewable Energy Development in County Durham Generation as % Electricity Use

Position at 31 March 2015

Operational and Approved

Installed Output % Co. % Co. Equivalent Capacity (GWh p.a.) Durham Durham no of (MWe) household electricity use households electricity

FiT (solar) 14.526 12.20 1.42 0.54 3362.50

Wind 135.36 320.12 37.15 14.16 74,102.46

Bio 41.40 210.31 24.41 9.31 48,683.33 Energy

Landfill 12.76 78.24 9.08 3.46 18,112.11

Hydro 2.29 10.82 1.26 0.48 2,505.15

Total 206.33 631.70 73.32 27.95 146,766

Table 11 Renewable Energy Development within Planning System in County Durham Generation as % Electricity Use

Position at 31 March 2015

Planning (not Scoping)

Wind 65.75 129.59 16.12 6.61 35998.13

Bio Energy 0.5 4.60 0.53 0.20 1,065

Landfill 0 0 0 0 0

Hydro 0.016 0.08 0.01 0.00 18

Total 66.27 134.27 16.66 6.82 37,080

M1: Production of primary land won aggregates

Production of sand and gravel and crushed rock is significantly below that achieved in the years preceding the current economic downturn. This does not reflect any lack of available mineral currently permitted within County Durham’s quarries. For comparison detailed information on both past sand and gravel and crushed sales is available in the Joint Local Aggregate Assessment for County Durham, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear (April 2014).

Due to the way in which mineral information is collected by the North East Aggregates Working Party (NEAWP) no information is available for the monitoring period 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015. Information is only available on a calendar year basis. However, the figures for this indicator set out in the table below provide the most up to date information available.

Table 11 Production of primary land won aggregates 2014.

Crushed Rock Sand and Gravel

2,654,000 tonnes 276,000 tonnes

Source: North East Aggregates Working Party (NEAWP) Annual Aggregates Monitoring Report for 2014.

M2: Permitted Reserves of primary land won aggregates

Permitted reserves are mineral deposits with the benefit of planning permission for extraction. The extent of permitted reserves for both crushed rock and sand and gravel are currently healthy and in excess of the minimum seven and ten year land banks that are required to be maintained for both sand and gravel and crushed rock. The extent of sand and gravel permitted reserves on 31.12.14 is significantly higher than that of 31.12.13 (8,710,950 tonnes). The extent of crushed rock permitted reserves on 31.12.14 is slightly higher than that on 31.12.13 (140,208,600 tonnes).

Due to the way in which mineral information is collected by the North East Aggregates Working Party (NEAWP) no information is available for the monitoring period 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015. Information is only available on a calendar year basis. However, the figures for this indicator set out in the following table provide the most up to date information available.

Crushed Rock (as at Crushed Rock Sand and Gravel (as Sand and Gravel 2014) Landbank at 31 at 2014) Landbank at 31 December 2014 December 2014

138,345,498 tonnes 43.3years* 8,651,000 tonnes 28.9 years*

Source: North East Aggregates Working Party (NEAWP) Annual Aggregates Monitoring Report for 2014. *Landbank at 31 December 2014 based on ten year sales average (2004-2014).

M3: Production of secondary and recycled aggregates

Information on sales of recycled and secondary aggregates in North East England for 2014 has been published in the North East Aggregates Working Party (NEAWP) Annual Aggregates Monitoring Report for 2014.

This report identifies that 61,400 tonnes of secondary and recycled aggregates were produced and sold from County Durham.

These figures relate to ‘fixed’ construction and demolition recycling sites and secondary aggregates producers in County Durham. The figures should be treat with some degree of caution as not all producers in North East England responded to the survey undertaken by the Aggregate Woking Party and non-respondents are not included in the figures. In addition, the survey does not include mobile crushers and screens which are known to make

16 a significant contribution in terms of the quantities of construction and demolition waste recycled for aggregate uses.

W1: Capacity of new waste management facilities

Table 12 New waste management capacity

Reference and site Potential capacity Waste Management Type

DM/14/00399/FPA Presumed 250 depolluted End of Life Vehicle (ELV) vehicles per annum site Newtons Recycling

Wingate Grange Industrial Estate

Wingate

County Durham

TS28 5AH

DM/14/00465/WAS 75,000 tonnes per annum Recycling of roadstone and road planings Bardon Roadstone Ltd

Hulands Quarry

Bowes

Durham

DL12 9JW

DM/14/00464/WAS 75,000 tonnes per annum Recycling of roadstone and road planings Heights Quarry Eastgate

Durham

DL13 1PE

DM/14/01670/WAS 120,000 litres per annum Upgrade to existing Sewage Treatment Works New Moors Sewage Works

Evenwood Gate

Durham

DM/14/02003/MIN 75,000 tonnes per annum Temporary use of a secondary aggregate Coxhoe Quarry Coxhoe recycling facility for Durham treatment of waste to produce soil, soil DH6 4BB substances and aggregate for 4 years.

DM/14/01984/WAS 643,131 litres per annum Refurbishment of existing Northumbrian Water Sewage Treatment Works Sewage Treatment Works Flass Terrace

Esh Winning

DH7 9QA

DM/14/02215/WAS Up to 25,000 tonnes per ELV/scrapyard annum Unit 2

The Grove Industrial Estate

The Grove

Consett

DH8 8BH

DM/14/02665/WAS 200 tonnes per annum ELV

3 Pease Road

North West Industrial Estate

Peterlee

SR8 2RD

DM/14/03719/WAS 667,220,000 litres per Refurbishment of existing annum Sewage Treatment Works Esh Winning Sewage Treatment Works

Esh Winning

Durham

In the monitoring period, a total additional waste management capacity of 250,200 tonnes was granted approval, consisting of CDEW and secondary aggregate recycling and End of Life Vehicle/scrap metal recycling. Another End of Life Vehicle facility (ELV) was also permitted, but its annual capacity in tonnes is uncertain. Several sewage treatment works were also upgraded. No new landfill capacity was permitted during the monitoring period. This shows that the County is continuing to move away from landfilling, towards recovery of value from waste and its reuse. The saved policies of the Waste Local Plan together with the emerging policies of the County Durham Plan are continuing to provide for the County’s waste management needs and are proving effective, as we move to adoption of the County Durham Plan.

W2: Amount of municipal waste arising, and managed by management type

A total of 248,108 tonnes of Municipal Waste arose in the period 2014/15. This is a continuing reduction on previous years (251,016 tonnes in 2012/13 and 249,188 tonnes in 2013/14). Of this approximately 97.5% was re-used or recycled and 2.4% was landfilled. This is a very significant reduction in landfilling on previous years. This is due to the Municipal Waste Management contract which was recently let (during the last monitoring period). This involves the Energy from Waste Plant in the Tees Valley (from 1st June 2013 until at least 2021 and potentially until 2025). The majority of our residual waste will be used to create power for the National Grid. The remainder will go to a Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) plant where it will be used to create Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) and compost for remediation of development sites.

In 2014/15 39% of County Durham’s Municipal waste was recycled and 59% was used to create electricity or refuse derived fuel.