6 Land Use Planning Framework for Aggregates Securing the Sustainable Supply of Aggregates Requires Carefully Planning (I.E
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6 Land Use Planning Framework for Aggregates Securing the sustainable supply of aggregates requires carefully planning (i.e. aggregates planning policies). As discussed in section 2, access to aggregates by forward planning is an important element of SARM. Issues are: Maximize availability of and access to aggregate by forward planning that protects important resources from sterilization; by extracting as much aggregate as possible from an area and using it for the most valuable application appropriate for the aggregate quality; by finding uses and markets for all of the extracted material; and by encouraging use of substitutes and recycling aggregate. Section 6 is structured as follows: First, general issues related to land use planning and management will be discussed. Second, aggregates (land use) planning at national, provincial level (i.e. regional [district] and local level will be discussed. Third, methodological issues will be provided. Focus: primary aggregates because of the fact that secondary aggregates are hardly considered in land use management. 6.1 General There are three general planning principles as follows: a) The existence of planning- and plan hierarchy b) The planning from a big scale to a small scale g) The obligation to co-ordinate the planning vertically and horizontally As regards planning principlesa) and b), regional planning follows the principle that the planning of a part of an area has to be part of the planning of an overall area. Therefore, regional planning has to be part of provincial planning, and municipal planning has to be part of regional planning. A private person is only allowed to use his/her realty if the local authority agrees with it. The term “planning hierarchy” deals with this topic. According to this planning hierarchy a plan hierarchy exists. This plan hierarchy signifies that a building permit that was given by the mayor is not allowed to have differences with the provincial development program of the provincial government. Planning principle g): In order to fulfil the planning hierarchy a vertical and horizontal planning co-ordination is required. Vertical planning co-ordination means the co-ordination between State (Mineral Resource Plan), the province Styria (i.e. its districts and municipalities). Horizontal planning co-ordination, on the other hand, means that the planning of parts of an area of a province (region, municipalities) has only sense (from the province’s perspective) if it is co-ordinated with the planning of the neighboured regions and municipalities. The requirement of vertical and horizontal planning co-ordination is of great importance for the mineral raw material issue. This complex issue often touches the issues of the State, provinces and municipalities and therefore need a careful vertical planning co-ordination. The notice of the horizontal planning co-ordination is crucial regarding the aspect of interregional raw material supply (i.e. region LEIBNITZ, DEUTSCHLANDSBERG and Graz, see different figures as listened above). Form, Structure and Scope of Development Plans As mentioned, land use planning is carried out at different planning levels, i.e. national, provincial, district and community level. Theoretically, lower level plans should follow the provisions of the provincial plans but in many cases they have been prepared before the provincial plan. Both the provincial (i.e. Styria) and the national government have to ensure that land use allocations do not contradict their own provisions oversee local plans. Whilst local authority land use plans contain land use regulations for specific sites, regional planning programmes (i.e. development plans, regional plans) of the provinces lay down general objectives for the land use and development of the land or parts of the land. These are binding on the local authorities. In addition to the regional planning programmes of the provinces, local development planning usually has been introduced by some local authorities defining how regional policy and physical planning principles and objectives have been applied within their area of jurisdiction. Such municipal planning conceptions are more general in content (1:10.000) than the site-specific land use and local development plans (1:5.000). Whereas 40 the land use and local development plans identify specific locations such as open spaces, building land, transport areas or reserved areas; a municipal planning programme might specify in more general term that a particular local authority area should be used for housing, industry, recreation, etc. More detailed planning is then left to the land use and local development plans. Range of tiers at which planning for aggregates take place The land use planning framework for aggregates in Austria (aggregates planning policies) is based at different planning levels. Tiers of government and their planning functions: government in Austria operates on a four tier system: National Federal Governments, Provinces (9 in total), Districts and Communities. These governments on different level are responsible for the objectives and actions related to aggregates planning – in terms of the case study areas (see table 5). The significant planning instruments (hierarchically regulated), are shown in table 6. Table 5: Levels of land use planning and the planning instruments – relevant for case study area Planner Principle of law Responsibility Instruments Scale Federal government Austrian Mineral Resource Development of the whole of Austria Austrian Mineral Resources Plan Plan and its parts, coordination of spatial Framework of regional planning important measures Province Styria Land Use Planning Law Superordinately planning for a Framework of regional planning 2010 regional development in concordance with environmental planning Development program/plan 1:500,000 District Regional development Setting up of regional goals for Development program/plan 1:50,000 regional plans and for the Regional Development program development of districts and all LEIBNITZ 2009 planning and measures in the planning area; Regional Development program 1:25,000 DEUTSCHLANDSBERG 2005 Local authority Local authority management Regulation of building and any other Local Land use conceptions 1: 10,000 use of property in the local authority’s For instance, development plans of 1: 5,000 area of responsibility (with the goal municipalities TILLMITSCH AND of) aiming at a structured urban ST. VEIT AM VOGAU, development considering aggregates planning (zoning plan) 1: 1,000 Building plans In the following a short overview is provided, i.e. related to aggregates planning at national level, provincial, district (regional) and local level. 6.2 Aggregates planning at national level As mentioned, regional aggregates planning in Austria is linked to aggregates planning policies at national level, thus a short overview is provided. Mining information system (“BergIS”) Within the scope of the Mining Law novella of 2001, the Federal Minister for Labour and Economy is obliged to develop a mining information system based on geo information system technology (so called “BergIS”), to keep markings and general maps as well as to transmit the required BergIS data to the provincial authorities. These should vice versa transmit data to the Federal minister. 41 Austrian Raw Mineral Resources Plan Within the scope of the Mining Law novella of 2001 the Federal Minister for Labour and Economy is obliged to carry out a national raw material plan.15 The reason for this project is the fact that “Austria itself produces a considerable part of raw material. At the same time the aspects concerning problems with the raw material supply are dealt with. The increasing extension of settlement area as well as the authorised wishes of the population regarding the environment often leads to conflicts between raw material securing and land use planning”. The Austrian Mineral Resources Plan takes a significant role in the mineral planning policy.16 As it plays a central role for the raw material protection and likewise for the procedure efficiency17 in Austria. This was to document the deposits of minerals needed nationwide and should create the basis of a nationwide mining plan, which should be established according to the specific needs of the federal countries and communities. The project emphasized that Austria has a substantial domestic production of raw materials. Conflicts of aims between resource protection and environmental respectively spatial planning should be harmonized. The whole purpose of Austrian Mineral Resources Plan18 is to identify raw material areas objectively and to protect them after conflict resolution and considerations of nature conservation and environment protection, ground water protection and other entitled claims to the open space in the spatial planning, so that these can be used without contradiction in the future. 19 The complexity of the Austrian Mineral Resources Plan has required a division of the works in two phases. The primarily involved working groups estimate duration of three years for Phase 1, for Phase 2- planning relevant for the federal countries - two years were assumed; however, at least the results of the Austrian Mineral Resource Plan were published in June 2010. The activities concerning the Austrian Mineral Resources Plan have thus made a fundamental contribution to sustainable resources management for an adequate modern mineral policy.20 Aim of Phase 1 of the Austrian Mineral Resources Plan was to determine the resources available