SWAWP South West Aggregates Working Party Annual Report: 2012 Bath and North East Somerset • Bristol • Bournemouth Cornwall • Dartmoor NP • Devon • Dorset • Exmoor NP Gloucestershire • Isles of Scilly • North Somerset • Plymouth • Poole • Somerset South Gloucestershire • Swindon • Torbay and Wiltshire SOUTH WEST AGGREGATES WORKING PARTY Annual Report: 2012 Chairman: Paula Hewitt BSc (Hons) MCD MRTPI Lead Commissioner, Economic and Community Infrastructure Somerset County Council County Hall Taunton Somerset TA1 4DY Tel: (01823) 356020 e mail: [email protected] Secretary: Philip M Hale BSc (Hons) FIQ Abbey Farm Eastermead Lane Banwell North Somerset BS29 6PD Tel: (01934) 820451 Fax: (01934) 820451 e mail: [email protected] Enquiries concerning the purchase of this or other SWAWP publications listed in this report should be addressed to the Secretary of the Working Party. 2 SOUTH WEST AGGREGATES WORKING PARTY Annual Report: 2012 Contents Page No EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 Introduction 5 2 National and Regional Minerals Planning 7 3 Local Aggregates Assessments 9 4 Production and Landbanks for Primary Aggregates (Crushed Rock and land and marine dredged Sand and Gravel) 12 5 Secondary and Recycled Aggregates 28 6 Significant Trends and Events (by Mineral Planning Authority) 29 7 Progress on Mineral Development Plans 31 Tables (NB Figures may not balance exactly due to rounding) Table 1 National and Regional Guidelines for Aggregates Provision in England (2005 - 2020) 7 Table 2 Sub regional Apportionment of the 2009 Aggregates Guidelines (2005 - 2020) 8 Table 3 Local Aggregates Assessments and Provision as at August 2013 11 Table 4 Production of Primary Aggregates 2011 and 2012 14 Table 5 Monitor of Decisions on Planning Applications 2011 21 Table 6 Monitor of Decisions on Planning Applications 2012 22 Table 7 Landbank Analysis – 31 December 2011 23 Table 8 Landbank Analysis – 31 December 2012 24 Table 9 Estimated production of recycled aggregates from recycling sites 2012 28 Figures Figure 1 Crushed Rock Aggregates Production in the South West 1993-2012 15 Figure 2 Land Won Sand and Gravel Production in the South West 1993-2012 15 Figure 3 Crushed Rock Aggregates Production by MPA 1993-2012 16 Figure 4 Land Won Sand and Gravel Production by MPA 1993-2012 16 Figure 5 Dredged Sand and Gravel Landings in the South West 2000-2012 17 Figure 6 Total Aggregate Reserves in the South West 1996-2012 18 Figure 7 Crushed Rock Reserves by MPA 1996-2012 18 Figure 8 Land Won Sand and Gravel Reserves by MPA 1996-2012 19 Maps Map 1. Bristol Channel Licensed Dredging Areas as at January 2013 25 Map 2. South Coast Licensed Dredging Areas as at January 2013 26 Map 3. Owers Bank Licensed Dredging Areas as at January 2013 27 Map 4. Active and Inactive Primary and Secondary Aggregates Sites 2012 51 Appendices Appendix 1. Membership of the Working Party 38 Appendix 2. SWAWP Publications 39 Appendix 3. Active and Inactive Primary and Secondary Aggregates Sites 2012 40 Appendix 4. Recycled Aggregates Sites 2012 48 3 SOUTH WEST AGGREGATES WORKING PARTY Annual Report: 2012 Executive Summary This Annual Report for 2012 has been prepared by the South West Aggregates Working Party (SWAWP), previously known as the South West Regional Aggregates Working Party (SWRAWP). As for earlier reports it contains details of land won primary aggregates production and permitted reserves and of marine dredged aggregates landings and resources. Other information on secondary and recycled aggregates and events of interest is also provided along with information on planning decisions and progress on Development Plan Documents. In order to provide an indication of trends, this Annual Report compares data for 2012 with data for earlier years. In June 2009 the Department for Communities and Local Government published a revised set of National and Regional Guidelines for the Provision of Aggregates in England 2005-2020 and these are used in this report where appropriate. The National Planning Policy Framework (March 2012) and later guidance on the Managed Aggregates Supply System (October 2012) indicates that the guideline amounts are to be taken into account by Mineral Planning Authorities when planning for the future demand for and supply of aggregates but in planning for a steady and adequate supply of aggregates, MPAs are to prepare an annual Local Aggregates Assessment either individually or, if appropriate, with other MPAs. Crushed Rock Production (sales) of crushed rock aggregates (limestone, igneous rock and sandstone) was 17.34mt in 2012, a very slight fall on 2011 (17.89mt); production in 2011 had been 3% up on 2010. It is, however, too early to say if this erratic increase indicates a recovery from the recession and it is in any case much lower than the production levels of 20-25mt which have been recorded in the recent past. Somerset continues to be the main production area with about 54% of sales. Permitted reserves in the region in 2012 amounted to about 931mt at active and inactive sites. This represented a landbank of about 53 years’ production when based on the average of three years production (2010-2012). In 2011 the landbank stood at 46 years when based on the average production (2009-2011), the increase between the two years having been due to the lower level of production in 2012 and an increase in reserves. The last published SWAWP report, for 2010, recorded a dormant sites reserve of 306mt; this amount remains valid for 2012. All crushed rock producing MPAs except Gloucestershire had a substantial landbank of permitted reserves (>30 years) in 2012. Approximately 48% of the south west’s permitted reserves were held by sites in Somerset. Land Won Sand and Gravel Production (sales) of land won sand and gravel was only 3.12mt in 2012, only slightly less than the 3.3mt recorded for 2011. Annual production is, however, still far below the 4-5mt achieved in the 1990’s. Dorset continues to be the main production area and in 2012 accounted for about 46% of sales. Permitted reserves in the region were only 38.23mt in 2012 representing an increase of 1.4% on the 2011 level of reserves and a landbank of just 11.9 years when based on the average of three years production (2010-2012); the landbank in 2011 was only slightly lower at 11.67 years. Approximately 56% of the South West’s reserves were held at sites in Dorset which had a landbank of about 14 years. Production in Wiltshire was the lowest in the South West at only 0.48mt, just below Devon at 0.49mt, but the landbank in Wiltshire was the lowest in the region at only 6.9 years. Marine Dredged Sand and Gravel In 2012, marine dredged landings in the region, mainly sand dredged from licensed areas in the Bristol Channel, amounted to 0.52m, slightly higher than the 2011 landings of 0.49mt. Avonmouth in Bristol continued to be the main wharf where 0.35mt were landed compared to 0.33mt in 2011. 4 SOUTH WEST AGGREGATES WORKING PARTY Annual Report: 2012 1.0 Introduction 1.1 This report is the latest in a series of Annual Reports that have been published by the Working Party since 1989. No report was published for 2011 because of a lack of funding from DCLG but some data were collected for continuity purposes. This report describes briefly the work undertaken by SWAWP in 2012 and presents quantitative information on the production of aggregates in the South West in that year; their reserves and the landbank of permitted reserves at the end of 2012. As for previous Annual Reports this report also includes information on mineral planning applications and mineral related matters in the South West. Production and reserves information was generally supplied by industry but in some instances estimates may have been made by the MPAs. 1.2 Information is generally presented in a similar format to that used in previous Annual Reports in order to facilitate comparison of statistical data, but where necessary figures are combined or excluded to avoid disclosure of confidential information. Although longstanding confidentiality restrictions were lifted by the then Quarry Products Association (QPA) towards the end of 1999 to facilitate the publication of much more data than previously reported, not all companies belong to the QPA (now the Mineral Products Association) and therefore some information is still confidential; even some members of the Association insist that their information should be treated as confidential. Confidential information is therefore annotated accordingly. Wherever possible, time series information is presented to provide an indication of trends. 1.3 Membership of SWAWP is shown in Appendix 1 of the report. The Working Party is one of 11 Aggregates Working Parties (AWPs) in England and Wales whose membership is drawn from MPAs; the aggregates industry, represented by the Mineral Products Association and the British Aggregates Association (BAA); the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG); the Department for Rural Affairs (DEFRA); the Environment Agency; the Kaolin and Ball Clay Association and the National Federation of Demolition Contractors (NFDC). Whilst each of the MPAs is a member of SWAWP and entitled to attend meetings not all of them do so, because of limited mineral interests, and arrangements have been made with the other member authorities to represent them as necessary. 1.4 Aggregates Working Parties were established by the then Department of the Environment in the early 1970’s to identify and consider likely problems in the supply of aggregate minerals. The work of the AWPs provides valuable input to the Managed Aggregates Supply System (MASS) that operates in England and Wales to maintain supplies of construction aggregates. It is not a policy making body but, amongst other things, undertakes data collection to facilitate planning for aggregates and to inform the general reader.