North West Regional Aggregates Working Partyy
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NNOORRTTHH WWEESSTT RREEGGIIOONNAALL AAGGGGRREEGGAATTEESS WWOORRKKIINNGG PPAARRTTYY ANNUAL REPORT 2002 Incorporating 2001 Aggregate Monitoring Statistics CHESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL Alan S Thornley County Planning Officer Environmental Planning Service Cheshire County Council Backford Hall CHESTER CH16PZ For further Information Please Contact: Dr Sharon Cosgrove Secretary NWRAWP Environmental Planning Service Tel: (01244) 603147 E-mail: [email protected] MARCH 2003 Document No.- 548 ISSN: 1460-4922 Disability Discrimination Act 1995 The main text in this document has been printed using a 12pt plain face font for maximum legibility. If any reader needs larger printing, please contact us and we will do what we can to help. CONTENTS Page 1. INTRODUCTION 7 2. MEMBERSHIP CHANGES 7 3. MEETINGS 8 4. RESULTS OF THE ANNUAL MONITORING OF AGGREGATE 9 PRODUCTION AND RESERVES AM00 5. MONITORING OF LANDBANKS 14 6. MARINE SAND LANDINGS FROM OFF THE NORTH WEST COAST 18 7. SECONDARY AGGREGATES 21 8. MONITORING OF PLANNING APPLICATIONS 23 9. EVENTS OF INTEREST 23 10. MONITORING OF DEVELOPMENT PLANS 27 11. ENVIRONMENT ACT 1995: REVIEW OF MINERAL 28 PLANNING SITES 12. GEOLOGICAL AND MINERALS PLANNING RESEARCH 30 PROGRAMME OF RELEVANCE TO AGGREGATES PLANNING IN THE NORTH WEST TABLES Table 1 Monitoring of Aggregate Production - North West Region 2001 11 Table 2 Monitoring of Permitted Reserves - North West Region 2001 12 Table 3A Monitoring of Landbanks - North West Region 2001, Method A 16 Table 3B Monitoring of Landbanks - North West Region 2001, Method B 17 Table 4 Production of Marine Dredged Sand and Gravel from off the North 19 West Coast 1992-2001 Table 5 Secondary Aggregate Reuse and Reserves 1998, 1999, 2000 & 2001 22 Table 6 Monitoring of Aggregate Planning Applications - North West 23 Region 1/1/2000-31/3/2002 Summary Table 7 Environment Act 1995: Summary of Aggregate Mineral 29 Review Permissions FIGURES Page Figure 1 Trends in Aggregate Production in the North West 2001 13 Figure 2 Trends in Aggregate Production in the North West 1992-2001 14 Figure 3 Aggregate Production against MPG 6 Guidelines in the North West 15 1992-2001 MAPS Map 1 North West Region 6 Map 2 Licensed Dredging Areas: North West Coastal Waters 20 APPENDICES 1 Terms of Reference - North West Regional Aggregate Working 38 Party 2 Consultation Response from NWRAWP on the Review of Draft 39 MPG6: Planning Policy for the Supply of Aggregates in England 3 Table A -Monitoring of Aggregate Mineral Planning Applications. 43 Final Decisions made 1/1/2000 – 31/3/2001 Table B: Aggregate Mineral Planning Applications "in hand" at 1/4/2002 47 4 Development Plans in the North West Region 50 Current progress on preparation. 5 Sites Included in 2000 Aggregate Minerals Survey 52 NORTH WEST REGIONAL AGGREGATES WORKING PARTY - MEMBERSHIP October 2002 Chairman Mr A S Thornley Cheshire County Council Technical Secretary Dr S Cosgrove Cheshire County Council Technical Assistant Mr D Diggle Cheshire County Council Local Government Representatives Mr A Jemmitt Environmental Advisory Service Mr J Geldard Lancashire County Council Mr P Gordon Cumbria County Council Mr N Henderson Lake District National Park Authority Mr D Ringwood Warrington Borough Council Mr S Talbot Greater Manchester Geological Unit Industry Representatives Mr N Brown BMPA Mr C Dobbs Tarmac Central Ltd Mr E Jordan Hansen Aggregates Mr K Forshaw Forshaw Demolition Ltd Mr D T Pollock Quarry Products Association Mr P Huxtable British Aggregates Association Mr G Stringer WBB Minerals Mr G Storey Aggregate Industries Ms J Davies RMC Aggregates (North West) Ltd Central Government Representatives Mr C Duffel Highways Agency (Manchester) Mr G Jones Government Office North West Mr B Marker Department of the Environment Transport & Regions Mr P Stanway Government Office North West Mr B Morgan DEFRA Map 1 North West Aggregates Working Party - North West Region 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 The North West Regional Aggregates Working Party (NWRAWP) is one of a number of similar working parties throughout England and Wales established in the 1970s in order to collect data on the production of aggregates. The NWRAWP is comprised of the counties of Lancashire, Cumbria (including the Lake District National Park) and Cheshire; the Metropolitan Boroughs of Greater Manchester and Merseyside along with the newly created Unitary Authorities of Blackburn with Darwin, Blackpool, Halton and Warrington. Those parts of the Peak District National Park which fall within Cheshire and Greater Manchester are represented by the East Midlands Regional Aggregates Working Party and those parts of the Yorkshire Dales National Park which fall within Cumbria are represented by the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Aggregates Working Party. 1.2 Membership is drawn from the constituent mineral planning authorities (MPAs), central government departments and representatives from the extractive industry. The metropolitan districts in Greater Manchester are represented by the Greater Manchester Geological Unit, which provides mineral planning services to the ten Metropolitan Borough Councils (MBC). The five Merseyside authorities are represented on mineral planning issues by the Environmental Advisory Service which regularly provides professional planning advice for Sefton, St Helens and Knowsley MBCs on issues relating to the environment including mineral extraction and waste disposal. Lancashire County Council acts for the new authorities of Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen on minerals policy issues. Cumbria acts for the Lake District National Park Authority in respect of the work undertaken by NWRAWP. The new authorities of Halton and Warrington undertake their own mineral duties. 1.3 The terms of reference of the working party are set out in Appendix 1. 1.4 The year 2002 report is the eleventh annual report to have been prepared and provides information on land and marine won aggregate production and reserves throughout the North West region for the preceding year. Information relating to the progress of development plans, planning applications, construction industry activity, secondary aggregates and mineral review applications is also provided for the period 1 January 2001 to the 31 March 2002. Details on current and future research projects associated with aggregates, which are of a regional significance, are also included. 2. MEMBERSHIP CHANGES 2.1 Any changes? Julie Davies RMC replacing Mr Trow. Inclusion of Peter Huxtable. 3. MEETINGS 3.1 The Working Party has met two times since the 1st January 2001, on the 17th July 2001 and on the 18th April 2002. The main topics of discussion from the remaining two meetings are summarised below. Issues discussed on 17th July 2001 The Case for a Separate Landbank for High Specification Aggregates 3.2 The Working Party considered a paper on the need for a separate landbank for high specification aggregates (HSA). HSA has a polished stone value of at least 58 and is used to surface roads where there are high volumes of commercial traffic and wherever road conditions are likely to give a high risk of skidding related accidents. Three active sites in Cumbria produce HSA, which because of its national scarcity, is substantially exported for use outside the County. Phil Gordon proposed that in order to monitor the effectiveness of local plan policy, and because of its regional and national significance, NWRAWP should publish sales and reserves information for HSA separate from other crushed rock. 3.3 Members agreed that this avenue was the way forward, especially given the fact that HSA is of such national importance. It was also agreed that Cumbria would provide HSA sales and reserves figures for previous years in order for them to be incorporated into the annual report. Status of Halton regarding Apportionment and Monitoring 3.4 Mr Jon Sutcliffe of Halton Borough Council was invited by the Chairman to outline the details the position of Halton in relation to apportionment figures and monitoring returns. Halton, like Warrington, had been included within Cheshire for all surveys and statistics prior to Local Government Review, and now Halton wished to have its future position made clear. The Technical Assistant informed members that Warrington’s position was clarified at the RAWP meeting on the 10th March 1999 where it was agreed that Warrington should be reported with, and therefore have its apportionment /landbank figures be considered as part of the Greater Manchester/Merseyside cohort. Members, therefore, considered it sensible for Halton to also be excluded from Cheshire and included within Greater Manchester and Merseyside. Draft Annual Report 2001 3.5 The draft annual report was introduced by the Secretary. The Working Party was asked to comment upon the draft report and points were taken on board. Issues discussed on 18th April 2001 AM 2001 SURVEY Minerals Technical Advice Note (TAN) (Wales): Aggregates – Consultation Draft 3.6 The Secretary introduced that the latest consultation draft of TAN for aggregates has been released by the National Assembly of Wales. The Secretary suggested that aspects of the TAN will have a significant impact on the north-west as a RAWP region and potentially upon the functioning and roles of RAWPs. The Secretary opened the floor to informal comments but requested more detailed comments to be submitted to the Secretary after the meeting. A summary of initial comments are outlined below: . The TAN outlines a number of threads which would be hard to implement and, in the main, is aspirational in its policy suggestions. It was also suggested that the assumption that slate waste and construction and demolition wastes can be reused as aggregate is potentially overstated and that an increased role for the RAWPs in undertaking environmental capacity studies for their areas was tried in the East Midlands and failed. There was a suggestion the TAN wishes to restrict aggregate movements into the North West of England which should be a concern to the NWRAWP. It was agreed that the North West of England conforms to the proximity principle outlined in the TAN.