Minerals and Waste Annual Monitoring Report 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SOMERSET COUNTY COUN CIL Minerals and Waste Annual Monitoring Report 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014 Sarah Winfield This Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of Section 35 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended by the Localism Act 2011) and to satisfy the requirement of the EU Waste Framework Directive, 2008 (2008/98/EC) (transposed through the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011) to provide details (including capacity) of existing, newly granted and recently closed waste facilities. Contents 1. What is the AMR? ........................................................................................................................... 2 2. Minerals and waste policy in Somerset .......................................................................................... 3 3. What is happening in Somerset (contextual indicators)? ............................................................... 3 3.1 Mineral production ................................................................................................................ 4 3.2 Waste production ................................................................................................................... 6 4. The planning process ...................................................................................................................... 9 4.1 Minerals and waste planning in Somerset ............................................................................ 9 4.2 Minerals and Waste Development Scheme timetable ....................................................... 10 4.3 Minerals policy use ............................................................................................................... 11 4.4 Waste policy use ................................................................................................................... 13 4.5 Meeting the Waste Core Strategy and Minerals Local Plan objectives .............................. 14 4.6 Duty to Cooperate ................................................................................................................ 18 5. Summary of findings ..................................................................................................................... 19 Appendix 1 ............................................................................................................................................ 21 Appendix 2 ............................................................................................................................................ 29 Appendix 3 ............................................................................................................................................ 32 Appendix 4 ............................................................................................................................................ 54 Appendix 5 ............................................................................................................................................ 60 1 1. What is the AMR? This Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) reviews minerals and waste operations and activities for the period 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014 and: • Sets out key trends and developments for minerals and waste in Somerset, including: how much mineral we have and how much has been extracted; and how much waste has been managed and in what way; and • Looks at how minerals and waste policy has been used and whether objectives from Somerset’s minerals and waste plans have been met. This is the tenth year of monitoring and the first year of monitoring the recently adopted Waste Core Strategy (February 2013). With the new Minerals Plan also being newly adopted (February 2015), this AMR introduces a new structure to take into account new monitoring indicators and best practice guidance on AMRs. A significant difference between this AMR and previous AMRs is that the focus is now on determining how well the Waste Core Strategy and Minerals Plan objectives are being met. Previous AMRs were focused on how well the Sustainability Appraisal (SA) objectives were being met. The SAs remain an integral part of the monitoring process, however, as they have informed and influenced the monitoring objectives and indicators of the Waste Core Strategy and Minerals Local Plan. Appendices 1 and 2 set out how the SA objectives and plan objectives fit together, and ultimately are met. This AMR acknowledges a year of transition for monitoring minerals policy. Although the new Minerals Plan has been adopted, its first year of monitoring will be 2015/16. Anticipating this, this AMR begins to monitor against the objectives of the new Minerals Plan. 2 2. Minerals and waste policy in Somerset Somerset County Council (Local Planning Authority for Minerals and Waste) Required to produce planning policy for minerals and waste: the Minerals and Waste Development Framework This provides support and guidance industry and local communities. Waste Core Strategy Minerals Plan (Adopted February 2013) (Adopted 2004) To encourage the To manage resources development of appropriately and protect appropriate management Somerset’s unique techniques and facilities to environment divert waste from landfill Figure 1 3. What is happening in Somerset (contextual indicators)? Contextual indicators help to provide a picture of the Somerset area, against which the monitoring indicators can be interpreted. Somerset is a predominantly rural county, with the majority of the population living in small communities. The population densities in each district, and particularly West Somerset, are well below the English average of 408 persons per square kilometre: • The total estimated population in Somerset 538,104 (based on the ONS 2013 mid-year estimates), this is an increase from the 2012 figure of 530,372; and • The GVA per full-time equivalent job at 2010 prices, £42,003. 3 3.1 Mineral production The minerals industry is of considerable economic importance to the Somerset economy and in 2014 Somerset County Council commissioned a project to investigate the benefits of quarrying to the Somerset economy. The report can be found via the following link: www.somerset.gov.uk/mineralsandwaste . Based on information received through the accompanying survey, the minimum total annual production of extracted stone (including aggregates, building stone and masonry products) and quarry products (including cement and coated materials such as asphalt) is estimated to be 12.6 million tonnes. The overall annual turnover of Quarrying and Related Activities (across the four sectors) is approximately £209.2 million, with a Gross Value Added of between £56 million and £74 million. This compares well with National Statistics data for GVA of mining and quarrying in Somerset and Dorset for 2010 of £85 million. Benefits of quarrying to the Somerset economy (£million) 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Aggregates Quarry Products Building Stone Stonemasonry (£145m) (£57m) (£1.2m-£1.9m) (£1.1m) Figure 2 Based on the questionnaire responses received, it is estimated that the quarrying industry and related activities in Somerset directly employ 1045 Full-time Equivalent (FTE) employees. The Aggregates and Quarry Products sectors identified an increase in turnover and UK domestic orders over the past 12 months, part of this being linked to ‘Somerset-specific’ products such as high quality lime for animal feeds. Following recession and reduced demands in the construction industry, the Building Stone Sector is currently more optimistic and is seeing an upturn in the local housing market. Representatives of both the Aggregates and Quarry Products sectors noted the potential growth opportunities offered by major construction projects within Somerset, specifically development at Hinkley C Nuclear New Build and associated infrastructure projects. 4 Opportunities may be regarded as direct (i.e.as a result of orders related to Hinkley C Nuclear New Build) or indirect (i.e. as a result of space created within the market as other operators focus on involvement with Hinkley C Nuclear New Build and associated infrastructure projects). Building stone As identified in the Minerals Topic Paper 2: Building Stone, which informed Somerset’s Minerals Plan (adopted February 2015), there are seven different types of building stone quarried in Somerset: Cornbrash, Forset Marble, Inferior Oolite (Doulting Stone and Cary Stone/Hadspen Stone), Ham Stone, Blue Lias, White Lias, Capton Stone. The target is to quarry 22 of the building stone types currently and historically quarried in Somerset, in order to provide the essential appropriate locally sourced building material to maintain the distinctive character of buildings, structures and settlements in Somerset. The types of building stones quarried will continue to be monitored through planning applications. Aggregates Data for aggregate sales has been collected for the 2013 South West Regional Aggregate Working Party Report: Recycled aggregate sales 105,660 t Secondary aggregate sales 2943 t Crushed rock sales 9.98 mt Landbank for crushed rock 425mt The recycled aggregate figure has been estimated by contacting waste operators with depots and transfer stations that sort materials suitable for recycled aggregate production. Not all operators provided figures. Aggregate generated on construction site using mobile plant are not included in the figures. Crushed rock sales 2004 -2013 (million tonnes) 14 12 10 8 6 Sales 4 2 0 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011