East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Local Aggregate Assessment December 2017 East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove, Local Aggregate Assessment, December 2017 NOTE In September 2017 East Sussex County Council, Brighton & Hove City Council and the South Downs National Park Authority commenced a Review of their Waste and Minerals Local Plan. This year's LAA has been drafted for consideration by SEEAWP before the end of the consultation period for the Call for Evidence and Sites. In addition, adoption of the LAA is planned before formal consideration of the responses to the Call for Evidence and Sites. It would not therefore be appropriate to pre-empt possible changes in aggregate supply in this document and so discussion of future demand and supply scenarios will not be included. These details will be assessed at the next stage of the Waste and Minerals Local Plan Review process in 2018. East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove, Local Aggregate Assessment, December 2017 Contents Executive Summary 3 1 Introduction 9 2 Geology and mineral uses 12 3 Demand 14 4 Supply 20 5 Environmental constraints 32 6 Balance 34 7 Conclusions 37 A Past and Future Development 39 B Imports into plan area 44 C LAA Requirements 45 Map 1: Geological Plan including locations of aggregate wharves and railheads, and existing aggregate sites 48 Map 2: Origin of aggregate imported, produced and consumed in East Sussex and Brighton & Hove during 2014 50 Map 3: Sand and gravel resources in the East English Channel and Thames Estuary (Source: Crown Estate) 52 Map 4: Recycled and secondary aggregates sites 2016/17 54 East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove, Local Aggregate Assessment, December 2017 3 Executive Summary Executive Summary Executive Summary The first East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Local Aggregate Assessment (LAA) was published in December 2013. The LAA has been updated annually and is based on the Plan Area for the adopted East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste & Minerals Local Plan (WMLP). This document represents the fifth LAA for the mineral planning authorities of East Sussex County Council, Brighton & Hove City Council and the South Downs National Park Authority (the Authorites) and examines updates to the position on aggregates supply and demand since the time of last reporting in 2016. In past years the Authorities' assessment was that there were particular circumstances in this Plan Area that made it difficult to prepare the LAA totally along the lines indicated in the NPPG. Previous LAAs concluded that the assessment could not use past 10 years sales data as this was too volatile because there is a very small number of production sites and therefore there has been major variation in sales figures from nothing to more substantial output. Past LAAs instead used the Apportionment figure in the Adopted WMLP as a surrogate figure for forward planning. In 2016 a Public Examination on the soundness and legal compliance of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Sites Plan was held. Hearings focused on the whether the Plan provided a sufficient and adequate supply of aggregates. Whilst the Inspector found the Sites Plan sound in his Report he highlighted the need for a Review of the aggregate minerals policies. The Authorities have since agreed to a Review of the Waste and Minerals Local Plan (WMLP) and in September 2017 published a consultation on the Call for Evidence & Sites . It is accepted by the Authorities that the WMLP aggregate policies are in need of review and so this year the LAA will seek to provide updated background information for the Review of the Waste and Minerals Local Plan. The LAA has been drafted for consideration by SEEAWP before the end of the consultation period for the call for evidence and sites. In addition, adoption of the LAA is planned before formal consideration of the responses to the call for evidence and sites. It is not therefore appropriate to pre-empt possible changes in aggregate supply in this document and therefore discussion of future demand and supply scenarios will not be included. These details will be assessed at the next stage of the Local Plan Review process in 2018. This LAA therefore examines the latest information and data available on aggregates in the context of the considerations raised by SEEAWP and the MPA/POS guidance (see Appendix C). The overall picture of aggregate supply to the Plan area is of heavy dependence on imports by road, sea and rail. Significant levels of marine imports (marine dredged and crushed rock) are received through Shoreham Port and to a lesser extent 4 East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove, Local Aggregate Assessment, December 2017 Executive Summary Newhaven and Rye. Crushed rock, recycled aggregate and sand and gravel are imported by rail at Newhaven. Land-won sand and gravel is extracted in the east of the Plan area at Lydd with about 50% of material being consumed in East Sussex. A steady supply of recycled material is produced from construction waste management facilities across the Plan area. A continuing demand for construction materials is anticipated. The South East England Aggregates Working Party (SEEAWP) has requested that MPAs include a comparative Key Facts table in their LAA. The data included in this table is to be found within the LAA and is pulled together here to enable easier assessment and collation of information. Key Facts East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton Hove & 20171 3 Sales2 (Mt) Av Av3 (3y) Trend4 LAA5 Reserve6 Landbank7 Capacity8 Comments9 East (10y) Sales rate (Mt.) (Yrs) (Mtpa) (Mt) (Mt) Sussex, Sales (Mt) South Sharp Sand & Gravel 0.3 (2016) N/A 0.4 N/A 2.0 N/A No 10 year average not applicable as working has only been in East Downs restrictions Sussex since 2011. and Sales in the last 3-4 years have have been higher than the rate Brighton anticipated in the planning permission, although the total for 2016 Executive is approx.117 000 tonnes less than 2014. & Soft sand 0 c c N/A 0.35 N/A Market Extraction commenced in 2007 but no extraction has taken place Hove, - led? in recent years. Recent renewal of permission indicated that reserve was 350 000 tonnes. Local All Sand and Gravel c 0.4 0.1 2.3 23* As per The landbank for the Plan Area has been calculated in the past as Aggregate market the full resource available at Stanton's Farm and the reserve from demand the permitted sites at Lydd Quarry within the boundary of East Sussex divided by 0.1 mtpa. This gives a landbank figure at the Summary end of 2016 of 23 years. However, the use of 0.1mtpa as a the Assessment, principal indicator of demand, and the method of calculating the 0.3 (2016) landbank will be re-examined as part of the Review of the Waste and Minerals Local Plan. *As such the landbank figure for 2016 should only be read as a nominal figure and not as an actual December measure of supply in the Plan area It should also be noted that recent renewal of permission indicated that reserve at Novington is now 350 000 tonnes. 2017 5 6 East East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton Hove & 20171 Executive Sussex, Crushed rock N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 0 0 0 No crushed rock produced in the Area but imports are significant South element of supply. Downs Recycled/Secondary 0.2 N/A Not N/A 0.7 Sales and capacity figures are taken from 2008/9, and updated Aggregates (2008/9) known (2015) figures would therefore help clarify situation. However, monitoring and of sites for 2016 saw a much improved response rate compared Brighton with previous years, and although not reflecting a full coverage of Summary facilities, results are not far off previous estimates. & Marine sand and 0.008* N/A Not N/A N/A Safeguarding of wharves is a crucial issue. Sales of marine imports Hove, gravel (2016) known received at Shoreham Port (which is partly within Brighton & Hove) are monitored by West Sussex County Council. These sales also Local contribute to the supply for the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove area. Previous imports have been confidential. Aggregate *The figure given is from East Sussex Ports only. Rock Imports by Sea 0.05* N/A Not N/A N/A Safeguarding of wharves is a crucial issue. Previous imports have (2016) known been confidential. *The figure given is from East Sussex Ports only. Assessment, Rail depot sales (S&G) 0.02 (2016) N/A Not N/A Not Relatively new imports of recycled and sand and gravel making known* known important contribution to supply particularly for recent infrastructure projects. Both types marked increase in last year. December *Only two years data available so far. Rail Depot Sales 0.07 (2016) N/A 0.07 N/A Not Relatively new imports of crushed rock making important 2017 (Crushed Rock) known contribution to supply particularly for recent infrastructure projects. Imports have varied over last 3 years. Comments9 Overall picture of aggregate supply – currently heavily dependant on imports by road, sea and rail; land-won sand and gravel in the west of the Plan Area; significant marine imports through Shoreham Port and to lesser extent Newhaven and Rye, rail imports of crushed rock, recycled aggregate and sand and gravel at Newhaven; and a level of supply from recycled aggregates throughout the Plan Area. Steady continuing demand anticipated. East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton Hove & 20171 The adopted aggregate policies are being reviewed as part of the current Review of the Waste and Minerals Local Plan.