South-East England Aggregates Working Party Annual Report 2018 South East England Aggregates Working Party (SEEAWP) January 2020 This page is intentionally blank Contents Executive Summary ……………..………..………… ……………………………………………….1 South East Aggregates Working Party (SEEAWP) .................................................... 3 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)/ Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) .... 5 Aggregates Monitoring 2018 - Introduction ................................................................ 6 Aggregate Sales and Consumption …………………………………………………........7 Quarries ..................................................................................................................... 9 Wharves ................................................................................................................... 14 Aggregates Rail Depots ........................................................................................... 16 Secondary and Recycled Aggregate Facilities ......................................................... 18 Aggregates Infrastructure Capacity………………………………………………………20 Aggregates Facilities and the Environment .............................................................. 22 Minerals Plans and Planning Applications ................................................................ 25 Local Aggregates Assessments ………………………………………………………..25 Conclusions ...................................................................................................................................... 27 Tables Table 1: Aggregates facilities1 in South East England by mineral planning authority – 2018 ............................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined. Table 2: Aggregates1 sales and consumption for South East England – 2001-2014 . 7 Table 3: Exports and imports of aggregates to/from South East of England - 2014 ... 9 Table 4: Quarry sales, permissions, reserves in South East England - 2009-2018 .. 10 Table 5: Sales, permissions and reserves at soft sand, sharp sand and gravel and crushed rock quarries for mineral planning authorities1 - 2018 ................................ 13 Table 6: Sales of marine sand and gravel, imported crushed and quarried sand and gravel at wharves for groups of mineral planning authorities – 2009-2018 .............. 15 Table 7: Sales of crushed rock, marine and quarried sand and gravel at rail depots for groups1 of mineral planning authorities – 2009-2018 .......................................... 17 Table 8: Sales of recycled and secondary aggregates for mineral planning authorities – 2009-2018 ............................................................................................................. 19 Table 9: Capacity at aggregates wharves and rail depots - 2018 ............................. 21 Table 10: Aggregates assessment summary for South East England - 2018 .......... 27 Figures Figure 1: South East England: Mineral Planning Authorities ...................................... 4 Figure 2: Aggregates sales in South East England 2009-2018 .................................. 8 Figure 3A: South East England (W): Location of primary aggregates facilities - 2018 ................................................................................................................................. 23 Figure 3B: South East England (W): Location of primary aggregates facilities - 2018 ................................................................................................................................. 24 Appendices Appendix A: Aggregates sales for South East England – 2009 - 2018 .................... 30 Appendix B: Sales, permissions, reserves at sand and gravel quarries 2009 - 201831 Appendix C: Sales, permissions and reserves of sand and gravel quarries by mineral planning authority - 2018 .......................................................................................... 32 Appendices D: Capacity at quarries and recycling/secondary aggregates sites for each mineral planning authority - 2018 .................................................................... 33 Appendix E: Major aggregates mineral planning decisions in South East England - 2018 ............................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined. Appendix F: Key milestones for mineral plans in the South East - 2018 .................. 39 Appendix G: Aggregates quarries and facilities – 2018 ............................................ 46 Appendix H: Members of the SEEAWP .................................................................... 61 Appendices I: Minutes of SEEAWP meetings - 2018 ............................................... 62 Executive Summary • The report is prepared by the South East of England Aggregates Working Party (SEEAWP) and includes the results of the Aggregates Monitoring (AM) 2018 survey, the proceedings of the Aggregate Working Party (AWP) and a summary report on the latest Local Aggregates Assessments (LAAs). • SEEAWP met three times during 2018 and responded to consultations, managed the AM 2017 survey and scrutinised LAAs 2018. • The information from Aggregates Monitoring 2018 is included in this Report and summarised below – see main report for further details Thousand tonnes unless otherwise specified Average Average Reserve Land- Capacity Sales Aggregates 10-year 3-year or bank* Margin* 2018 sales sales Capacity (Years) % Quarried 1,819 1,623 1,802 24,117 13 45 Soft Sand Quarried Sharp Sand 4,579 4,280 4,349 48,242 10 51 and Gravel Quarried Sand & 6,399 5,906 6,160 72,359 11 49 Gravel Quarried Crushed 1,631 1,364 1,615 32,902 38 60 Rock Wharves 5,905 6,082 6,376 (S&G) 9,394 16 Wharves (CR) 2,477 1,924 2,440 Rail Depots 5,726 3,665 4,869 7,675 25 (CR+S&G) Recycled/ Secondary 4,581 n/a 4,497 12,020 57 Aggregate See Tables 4, 9, 10 and Appendix for explanation of methodology for calculating land banks and capacity margins • Overall the picture is of aggregates sales above past averages – the exceptions are sand and gravel sold through the wharves not meeting the 3-year average sales level. There are also some variations between mineral planning authorities. • All quarried aggregates in the South East have reserves above the 7-year land bank minimum requirement set in the NPPF, although there a few individual mineral planning authorities that are below this. • It is noted that there may be general capacity issues for the wharves where there is only a capacity margin or ‘headroom of 16%. However, the AM 2018 information on this cannot be fully relied on and there could be more capacity 1 than recorded. Nevertheless, this matter will need further consideration in the next Annual Report. • The AM data forms the basis for the Local Aggregates Assessment 2019 submitted by the mineral planning authorities, which provides a more detailed local picture of aggregates demand and supply. This shows that a number of mineral planning authorities: East Sussex, Hampshire, Milton Keynes, West Berkshire and West Sussex have reserves below the 7-year minimum requirement. • The LAAs also show that there is a need to identify need for further wharf infrastructure in Hampshire and possible pressures on rail depot capacity in Berkshire and Oxfordshire. • The LAAs note in varying detail the planning applications and plan allocations that might have an impact on quarry reserves, wharves, rail depot and recycled/secondary aggregates facilities. • The Annual Report concludes that South East England is making a ‘full contribution’ to aggregates needs in that collectively, the quarry landbanks more than meet the minimum requirement. However, there are pressures on reserves if they are not replenished and potential capacity issues at the aggregate wharves which needs further investigation. The degree to which this might be addressed by undetermined planning applications, mineral plan allocations or indeed emerging mineral plans is not clear. 2 1 South East Aggregates Working Party (SEEAWP) 1.1 This is the 22nd in a series of annual reports prepared for the South East of England Aggregates Working Party (SEEAWP) since 1996. The reports hitherto concentrated on the results of latest annual Aggregate Monitoring Survey of different types of aggregates sales, quarry reserves and infrastructure capacity. The scope of this report has now been extended to report on the proceedings of SEEAWP and a general overview and conclusions of the Local Aggregates Assessments (LAAs) prepared by the mineral planning authorities in the South East. 1.2 SEEAWP is one of a number of Aggregates Working Parties (AWPs) that cover England and Wales. The geographic coverage of SEEAWP is illustrated in Figure 1 overleaf. 1.3 SEEAWP is a technical advisory group of mineral planning authorities, aggregates companies and other relevant organisations within the South East. Membership of SEEAWP is outlined in Appendix J. 1.4 The role of SEEAWP is to: • consider, scrutinise and provide advice on the Local Aggregates Assessment (LAA) prepared by each mineral planning authority in the South East and if required respond to findings of LAAs elsewhere; • provide an assessment, based on the LAAs, on the position of overall demand and supply for the South East, including whether, in its view, the area is making a full contribution towards meeting both national and local aggregate needs. The AWP assessment should also be informed by other economic data and should also include an indication of emerging trends of demand in its area; • obtain, collect and report on