Submission Document East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Development Plan Document Waste and Minerals Sustainable Transport Feasibility Study June 2012 Waste & Minerals Sustainable Transport Feasibility Study 1 Introduction1 1 Introduction 1.1 East Sussex County Council, Brighton and Hove City Council and the South Downs National Park Authority (the Authorities) are currently preparing a joint Waste and Minerals Plan Development Plan Document (WMP), formally known as the Core Strategy. The WMP is being prepared in accordance with the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and associated regulations and guidance. 1.2 To inform the WMP, this Minerals and Waste Transport Feasibility Study has been undertaken to assess the feasibility of transporting waste and minerals by rail and water into, out of and within the Plan Area. MDS Transmodal were commissioned by the Authorities in November 2008 to provide advice and inputs into the feasibility study, particularly with respect to rail freight and coastal shipping issues. 1.3 The report is a ’living draft’ which presents the evidence as it stands at this stage and will be periodically updated with any new information that comes to light. This will ensure the Councils’ knowledge and understanding of waste and minerals remains robust and the evidence base for the WMDF is ‘sound’. The report is structured as follows: Chapter 2 - outlines planning and transport policy from national to local level with respect to transportation and waste and minerals; Chapter 3 - identifies existing wharf facilities, railway terminals and freight siding facilities in East Sussex and Brighton & Hove (both active and inactive). See appendix B for further details of these facilities. Landings of aggregates at ports in the Plan Area, inwards flows of aggregates by rail and road to East Sussex/Brighton and Hove are also covered. Chapter 4 - gives aggregate trends and forecasts data for the South East and East Sussex/Brighton & Hove; Chapter 5 - looks at waste trends and forecasts covering volumes generated in East Sussex/Brighton & Hove and annual volume by waste type and destinations; Chapter 6 - looks at railway issues. Covering equipment used for moving aggregates and waste, loading gauge, train lengths, route availability and network capacity, as well as the potential availability of grants. The rail industry structure and roles/responsibilities are also covered. Freight path capacity on the Brighton mainline and approaching routes is then looked at, as well as providing up to date data with regards to train trailing length and trailing weight limitations on these routes. See appendix A for details of rolling stock used. Chapter 7 - covers rail freight economics for aggregates and waste and circumstances identified under which rail is able to offer a cost competitive transport option. Chapter 8 - covers Coastal/Short Sea Shipping Issues, covering vessels used for moving aggregates and waste by sea, shipping economics for aggregates and 2 Waste & Minerals Sustainable Transport Feasibility Study 1Introduction waste, the industry structure and roles/responsibilities as well as potential grants available; Chapter 9 - identifies new wharf and railway facilities and includes criteria for identifying and assessing sites for handling minerals and waste. A ‘long list’ of potential sites was produced by the East Sussex and Brighton & Hove Council's and assessment of that ‘long list’ was undertaken against certain criteria described in this chapter. From this a ‘short list’ of suitable sites was produced into a table of potential sites to be safeguarded. Chapter 10 - identifies key issues from the report on the movement of waste and minerals by rail and wharf in the plan area, which can be taken into account along with the 'short list' of sites, within the Waste & Minerals Development Framework. Waste & Minerals Sustainable Transport Feasibility Study 3 Planning & Transport Policy2 2 Planning & Transport Policy National Policy Statement - Ports (January 2012) 2.1 The NPS provides the framework for decisions on proposals for new port development. It sets out the Government’s conclusions on the need for new port infrastructure, considering the current place of ports in the national economy, the available evidence on future demand and the options for meeting future needs. It explains to planning decision-makers the approach they should take to proposals, including the main issues which, in the Government’s view, will need to be addressed to ensure that future development is fully sustainable, as well as the weight to be given to the need for new port infrastructure and to the positive and negative impacts it may bring. Port Masterplans 2.2 The Department for Transport requires masterplans to be produced for ports in order to: Clarify the port’s own strategic planning for the medium and long term; Assist regional and local planning bodies, and transport network providers, in preparing and revising their own development strategies; and Inform port users, employees and local communities as to how they can expect to see the port develop over the coming years. 2.3 Within the Plan area, masterplans have so far been produced for Shoreham and Newhaven ports. Railway - Route Utilisation Strategies (RUS) 2.4 Route Utilisation Stratgies are produced by Network Rail and seek to balance supply and demand and set out the longer term vision for improvements across the rail network. Freight RUS (March 2007) 2.5 The Freight RUS considers current freight usage and estimates future demand on the network, in train numbers and tonnage. Options to bridge potential gaps are outlined in the consultation process on the RUS, with recommendations and proposals and how to implement them. At the time the Freight RUS was consulted on no freight paths within East Sussex and Brighton & Hove came forward therefore none appear in this document. 4 Waste & Minerals Sustainable Transport Feasibility Study 2Planning & Transport Policy Sussex RUS (January 2010) 2.6 This RUS concentrates primarily on passenger services between the Brighton Main Line, the Redhill corridor, East Croydon and London, although there are some reference to freigh traffic. 2.7 I tnotes that the South East has long been the largest market in the UK for aggregates for the building trade and over time the attractiveness of rail as the mode of choice has increased as local sources of aggregate have expired or become subject to planning restrictions – driving the need for longer hauls. Movement of aggregates by rail is likely to continue to grow in the medium to long term but with demand closely linked to the level of house building and other major construction projects within the RUS area. It is expected that this growth can be accommodated using the current network capacity. 2.8 Rail is particularly suited to the transport of aggregates for both economic and environmental reasons. Aggregates products tend to have a relatively low unit value, as a result of which transport costs comprise a large proportion of the end price. With a typical payload of at least 1,000 tonnes per train, rail can carry large volumes reliably and economically. National Planning Policy White Paper: Delivering a Sustainable Railway 2.9 The white paper ‘Delivering a sustainable railway’, published on 24 July 2007, fulfils the remit the then Government set itself in 2005 to provide strategic direction for the rail industry. The white paper looks at the potential future challenges for the railway over a 30-year horizon. It identifies three long-term agendas for Government and the rail industry working in partnership: increasing the capacity of the railway, delivering a quality service for passengers, and fulfilling rail’s environmental potential. The Paper also confirmed the Government’s support for rail freight growth and the measures necessary to achieve it. The National Planning Policy Framework 2.10 The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was published in March 2012 and replaces previous national planning policy contained with Planning Policy Guidance and Planning Policy Statement documents. 2.11 The NPPF supports the use of sustainable transport and states that local authorities should work with neighbouring authorities and transport providers to develop strategies for the provision of viable large-scale infrastructure such as rail freight interchanges. Transport investment necessary to support strategies for the growth of ports, airports or other major generators of travel demand in their areas should also be provided. Waste & Minerals Sustainable Transport Feasibility Study 5 Planning & Transport Policy2 Regional Planning Policy The South East Plan 2.12 The South East Plan is the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for the South East and was published in May 2009 to cover the period to 2026, although the Coalition Government has stated its intention to revoke RSSs through the provisions of the Localism Act 2011. 2.13 It sets out strategies for improving life in the region over that timescale by: highlighting priorities for improving transport; reviewing the number of new houses needed in the region each year; setting targets for recycling waste to reduce the need for landfill; recommending ways to improve health and the environment. Ports 2.14 The importance of the region’s ports is acknowledged in the Plan as playing a vital role in supporting the UK economy. However it is clear that they are dependent on the quality of the landside infrastructure. The location of port infrastructure is seen as providing the opportunity to encourage short-sea shipping as a real alternative to land transport. Policy T10 expressly states that encouragement should be given to investment in landside infrastructure that supports short-sea shipping connections linking the region into the wider European network via the region’s ports. 2.15 Short-sea and coastal shipping is defined as the movement of passengers and goods between ports situated in geographical Europe or between those ports and ports situated in the enclosed seas bordering Europe Freight 2.16 It is recognised that the majority of freight movements are made by road and this will continue to be the case.