Buckinghamshire Minerals & Waste Local Plan 2004 -2016

June 2006 Foreword

The County Council has been preparing local plans to control and guide minerals and waste development in Buckinghamshire for some twenty years. This Plan - the Buckinghamshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan - was adopted by the Council in April 2006, and is the latest product in a long and continuous line of local planning activity.

This Plan represents the culmination of a long programme of work which commenced in May 2002. During the four years since then, the County Council received a great many comments and suggestions about what it should contain, and how our emerging ideas could be improved, from a wide variety of sources. These ranged from operators and industry bodies, Government departments and agencies, local authorities both within and outside Buckinghamshire; Parish Councils; environmental and amenity bodies; voluntary societies; residents' groups; and large numbers of local people.

To all those who contributed comments and advice as the Plan progressed towards adoption, I would like to express the Council's grateful thanks.

Buckinghamshire is not an island, however, and we have also had to take full account of new and evolving Government guidance for more sustainable waste management and minerals production. In addition, the Council has worked closely with the Regional Assembly on relevant emerging regional strategies and has had some influence upon their nature. These, in turn, form a framework for some of the important policies and proposals contained in the Plan, not least the appropriate provision to be made for future sand and gravel working and targets for waste recycling.

To summarise, the aims of the Plan to 2016 are for:

• Reducing demand upon natural resources • Less pollution risk and greenhouse gas emissions • Less use of primary, land-won minerals and more of recycled material • Higher standards of site restoration • A slowing down in the rate of waste generation • Less landfill, more recycling and composting • Wastes managed at the most appropriate level • Less movement of waste

There is, especially with future waste management, considerable uncertainty as to the nature and location of future technologies that will be necessary to recover value or energy from waste. We have planned for reduced reliance upon landfill, and in the earlier years of the plan we are seeking to maximise the contribution of recycling and composting. But in later years these measures will be insufficient to meet national and regional targets and the use of higher waste recovery technologies will become necessary. The Plan therefore provides a policy context that covers a range of future possibilities.

Finally, notwithstanding Government changes in 2004 to the planning system, the County Council remains responsible for local minerals and waste planning (and the control of such development after this takes place). It is important to note that this Plan will have a fundamental role in providing a framework to guide the preparation of the Council's new "Development Plan Documents" which will identify locations for the future waste and minerals development that will be needed in Buckinghamshire to 2021. I would encourage all stakeholders and consultees who have contributed to this Plan to remain engaged in forthcoming consultations as we develop these Documents.

As Cabinet member, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Strategic Planning staff for the quality of their contribution. The people of Buckinghamshire can be confident that it is of the highest order, both in relation to this present Minerals & Waste Local Plan and also in their work over the whole range of Strategic Planning activities at the County Council.

Rodney Royston Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning

Contents

Section Page Section Page Chapter 1 Introduction Policy 15: Waste Transfer 1.1 General 3 3.6 31 Facilities Policy 16: Anaerobic and The Duty to Plan for Mineral 1.2 3.7 Mechanical – Biological 32 Extraction & Waste Management 3 Treatment Plant Policy 17: Energy from Waste 1.3 Overriding Aims 3 3.8 33 Plant Policy 18: Landfill and 1.4 Context 4 3.9 35 Landraising 1.5 The Need for Review 4 3.10 Policy 19: Calvert Landfill Site 36 Policy 20: Landfill Gas Collection 1.6 Scope and Content 5 3.11 37 & Energy Recovery 1.7 How to Use This Plan 5 3.12 Policy 21: Hazardous Wastes 38 Policy 22: Inert Wastes and Inert Chapter 2 Minerals 3.13 39 Waste Recycling Policy 23: Sewage Treatment Policy 1: Overarching Minerals 2.1 8 3.14 Works & Management of Sewage 40 Extraction Principles Sludge General Environmental 2.2 Policy 2: Aggregates Landbank 9 Chapter 4 Policies Policy 3: Preferred Areas for Policy 24: Protection of Key 2.3 11 4.1 42 Sand and Gravel Extraction Environmental Assets Policy 25: Protection of Other 2.4 Policy 4: Area of Search 12 4.2 Environmentally Important Sites 43 & Features Policy 5: Borrow Pits & Other Policy 26: Protection of 2.5 13 4.3 44 Windfall Sites Agricultural Land Policy 6: Alternative Aggregates Policy 27: Protection of 2.6 14 4.4 45 Production The Green Belt Policy 7: The Transport of 2.7 16 4.5 Policy 28: Amenity 46 Aggregates 2.8 Policy 8: Other Minerals 17 4.6 Policy 29: Buffer Zones 47 Policy 30: Proximity Principle and 2.9 Policy 9: Oil Exploration 17 4.7 48 Sustainable Transport Policy 31: Restoration and Chapter 3 Waste 4.8 49 Aftercare Policy 10: Overarching Waste 3.1 20 4.9 Policy 32:Restoration of Old Sites 50 Management Principles Policy 11: Imported Wastes and Policy 33: Groundwater and 3.2 25 4.10 51 Landfill Sites Floodplain Protection Policy 12: Integrated Waste Policy 34: Aviation Safeguard 3.3 27 4.11 52 Management Areas Policy 13: Recycling Composting 3.4 28 Facilities Policy 14: Household Waste 3.5 29 Recycling Centres (HWRCs)

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Section Page Section Page Chapter 5 Development Control Policies Maps

Policy 35: Best Practicable 5.1 53 1 Proposals Map and Inset Areas 7 Environmental Option Proposals Map – Inset Area A Policy 36: Planning Application 5.2 54 2 and Mineral Consultation Area Issues (sleeve) Policy 37: Environmental 5.3 56 3 Proposals Map – Inset Area B 19 Assessment

5.4 Policy 38: Planning Obligations 57 4 Survey Map (sleeve)

Policy 39: Site Monitoring and Landfilling and Land Raising 5.5 58 5 Enforcement Sites (sleeve)

Waste Management Facilities Chapter 6 Monitoring 6 (Sleeve) 6.1 Policy 40: Plan Monitoring 60 Tables Preferred Areas, Waste Transfer Appendices Reserves Workable During the Site and Household Waste And 61 1 10 A Plan Period Recycling Centre List of Main Guidance and B Legislation informing the 81 2 Frequency of Site Visits Per Year 58 preparation of this Plan

C Glossary 83

2 Chapter 1 Introduction

1.1 General

1.1.1This plan provides a land use policy framework to 2016 for mineral and waste planning within Buckinghamshire. It is the first combined Buckinghamshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan (BM&WLP) produced by the County Council and replaces the existing Minerals Local Plan (MLP) and Waste Local Plan (WLP). The area covered by this Plan is shown on Map 1.

1.1.2 Notwithstanding the major changes to the planning system introduced under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, transitional arrangements allow this plan to progress to adoption as a local plan under existing procedures. The BM&WLP will then be a "saved plan" for a period of three years from adoption (programmed for May 2006). Following adoption of this plan the Council will proceed directly to the preparation of the new Minerals and Waste Development Plan Documents (MWDPDs) as required by the Act. However the content of this plan will form the cornerstone of the successor MWDPDs and so consultees are reassured that the BM&WLP, and their engagement with it, will be of lasting value.

1.2 The Duty to Plan for Mineral Extraction and Waste Management

1.2.1 As the statutory Minerals Planning Authority (MPA) and Waste Disposal Authority (WDA), the 1 County Council is legally responsible for the control of mineral extraction and waste management within the plan area. It is guided in the operation of these powers by national, regional, Structure, and 2 Local Plan policies. In addition, the County Council must prepare a Minerals Local Plan (MLP), a Waste Local Plan (WLP), or a combined Minerals and Waste Local Plan (M&WLP), to set out detailed policies and proposals for mineral extraction and restoration and waste management.

1.2.2 The County Council believes that MLPs and WLPs are essential for the efficient implementation of minerals and waste development control. It takes the view that the interests of the minerals and waste industries and the public can best be served by the framework of sustainable policies and proposals contained in an approved and up-to-date M&WLP.

1.3 Overriding Aims

1.3.1 The aims of this Plan are:

3 4 a) to comply with Government guidance and Structure Plan policy to secure an acceptable and sustainable balance between society’s need for minerals and the need to manage waste whilst conserving resources and protecting the environment; b) to give greater certainty as to the location and scale of future mineral working and waste management facilities and to provide a clear guide to mineral and waste operators and to the public where mineral extraction and waste facilities are likely in principle to be acceptable and where not acceptable 5;

1 Under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, as amended by the Planning and Compensation Act 1991 and the Environment Act 1995, and as a statutory Minerals Planning Authority (MPA) and Waste Planning Authority (WPA). 2 Under the provisions of the Planning and Compensation Act 1991. 3 As expressed in Planning Policy Guidance Note 10, “Planning and Waste Management (1999)”, “Waste Strategy 2000”, Minerals Policy Guidance Notes (MPGs), circulars and ministerial statements. 4 Adopted Buckinghamshire County Structure Plan 1991-2011, Bucks County Council, March 1996. 5. MPG1 General Considerations and the Development Plan System, 1996, paragraph 15 and PPG10 – Planning and Waste Management 1999 (Paragraphs 29 and 33-34).

3 c) to ensure that any proposals for mineral working or waste management operations are environmentally acceptable and are accompanied by satisfactory and achievable proposals for restoration and after-use.

1.4 Context

1.4.1 Strategic planning policies relating to minerals and waste are set out in the Buckinghamshire County Structure Plan 1991-2011. The current Plan was adopted by the County Council on 28 March 1996, and although a draft Replacement Structure Plan covering the 2001-2016 period was placed on Deposit in 2003 this will not now be progressed to adoption. Many of the Structure Plan policies derive from national and regional policies for minerals demand and supply and waste disposal/management.

1.4.2 However, to develop the Structure Plan’s broad strategy for mineral working, waste disposal and related development, and to relate it more precisely to identifiable areas of land, a local plan is needed.

1.4.3 This plan therefore, updates and extends the policy framework provided by the current Minerals Local Plan and the Waste Local Plan and rolls it forward to 2016.

1.5 The Need for Review

6 1.5.1 Government advice is that plans should be reviewed every five years or so to provide up-to- 7 date guidance for the public, operators, and developers. A review of the existing Waste Local Plan is therefore due. The County Council has decided to do this through the production of a combined Minerals and Waste Local Plan to be known as the Buckinghamshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2004-2016 (BM&WLP). This Plan will cover the period to the end of 2016.

1.5.2 Recently there have been a number of crucial strategic developments which will have an effect upon the emerging local plan. The most important are: a) the publication by the Government of the national waste strategy (Waste Strategy 2000), which establishes the national framework for moving away from landfill towards more sustainable waste management alternatives in the UK;

8 b) the revision by Government of MPG6 “Planning for the Supply of Aggregates in England” which amongst other matters, will update the future regional aggregates production requirement for the South East Region; c) the Government is now giving greater emphasis to the potential contribution of recycled and secondary aggregates to overall supply; d) the apportionment (“share out”) by the Regional Planning Body for the South East Region (the South East England Regional Assembly of that regional requirement between the region’s MPAs;

6 Planning Policy Guidance Note 12 Development Plans, DETR, December 1999. 7 Waste Local Plan for Buckinghamshire 1994-2006, Bucks County Council, March 1997. 8 MPG6 Guidelines for Aggregates Provision in England (April 1994).

4 e) agreement by the County and District Councils to adopt the recommendations contained in the 9 Waste Strategy for Buckinghamshire (WSB) prepared by the Bucks Waste Forum. This strategy is intended to achieve the targets for the recycling, composting and recovery (of energy) contained in the national waste strategy and the diversion of organic waste from landfill that is required by the EC Landfill Directive; f) the preparation of a Regional Waste Management Strategy (RWMS) to advise the Regional Assembly on the future provision of waste facilities within the South East Region and the related land- use implications of such facilities; g) the need to consider the waste implications of the Government's Sustainable Communities Plan (Sustainable Communities: building for the future) in general, and (for Buckinghamshire) of the Milton Keynes & South Midlands Sub-Regional Strategy.

1.6 Scope and Content

1.6.1 This Plan sets out the policies to be applied to both mineral extraction and waste management in Buckinghamshire over the period to 2016.

1.6.2 The minerals policies and proposals contained in the plan aim to ensure that mineral extraction can take place at an appropriate rate over this time, and also that at the end of that period there can be enough planning consents to allow extraction for an additional seven years (i.e. to the end of 2023). In particular it identifies how much land should be given planning permission for sand and gravel working to 2016, and those areas which are to be considered to be the most suitable for future extraction; these are referred to as the “Preferred Areas”. It also addresses those issues that will be taken into account by the County Council.

1.6.3 The waste policies and proposals reflect current national waste policy by moving towards more sustainable alternatives to managing our waste than the current practice of relying predominantly on landfill. This approach also incorporates the recommendations set out in the WSB. Some of these are purely operational in nature, whilst others are relevant for this Plan since they require the development of land (sites) to achieve the waste management objectives expected by Government. The Plan therefore identifies the type of new waste management facilities required to meet Government targets over the plan period to 2016 and where these facilities should be located.

1.6.4 The general environmental policies are applicable to both mineral and waste development. They set out what developers should take into consideration regarding the environmental impact and sustainability of their proposals and the means of ameliorating such impacts.

1.7 How to Use This Plan

1.7.1 The main body of this Plan comprises pages like the one below, each of which addresses a particular subject or theme.

Policy xx:

This section sets out the formal policy (for Minerals, Waste, General Environment, and Development Control)

9 Waste Strategy for Buckinghamshire 2001-2021, Bucks Waste Forum.

5 1.7.2 Supporting Text

This section briefly explains why the Policy is needed and what it seeks to achieve.

1.7.3 Policy Performance Targets

Some policies include a specific target (or a set of targets) against which their success or otherwise will be measured. Other policies will have more qualitative outcomes. Where the target is to maintain or improve performance in some way, this is relative to the position at 2004 (the base date for this plan) unless otherwise stated.

1.7.4 Notwithstanding the inclusion of challenging targets within this Plan, the Council intends that, ultimately, the quality of decision making and outcomes will not be compromised by efforts to achieve a given target by a given date. The targets will remain under review throughout the plan period.

1.7.5 Implementation

This section highlights some of the key actions that the County Council and other stakeholders will take to implement the Policy.

1.7.6 It is important to note that the Plan should be read as whole, as many of the policies interrelate. Decisions about future development must have due regard to all relevant policies of the plan. The fact that a particular policy may accord support or encouragement to a certain type of development does not alter this.

6

7 Chapter 2 Minerals

2.1 Overarching Minerals Extraction Principles

Policy 1

In accordance with Government objectives, the County Council will aim to ensure continuity in the supply of minerals from within Buckinghamshire whilst applying the principles of a sustainable approach to mineral extraction. Development which would be likely to cause serious hindrance to the ultimate extraction of significant deposits, whether it is directly over the deposits or close to them, will not normally be permitted. The extraction of minerals prior to permanent forms of development will be generally encouraged insofar as this would be consistent with other relevant policies of this plan. The District Councils will consult the County Council on all planning applications within the Minerals Consultation Area (MCA) as represented on Map 1, with the exception of proposals for those types of development listed in Supplementary Planning Guidance Note 5.

2.1.1 The Government has set out its general policy objectives for minerals planning in Minerals Planning Guidance notes (MPGs). General advice in making provision for a steady supply of minerals is contained in MPG1. It also emphasises the need to minimise the adverse environmental effects of mineral extraction by adopting a more environmentally-friendly (sustainable) approach.

2.1.2 Government guidance also states that any economically important mineral deposits should be safeguarded against other forms of development which could prevent or hinder their possible future extraction. The Survey Map (Map 4) identifies the main deposits of sand and gravel in Buckinghamshire. The Thames Valley has been one of the main areas for the production of sand and gravel in Buckinghamshire and continues to be so. Several detailed mineral assessment surveys of the sand and gravel resources in this area have been based on borehole information from the British Geological Survey (BGS) and other records including those of mineral operators. This area is covered by the Mineral Consultation Area (MCA) shown on Map 1.

2.1.3 To the north of the Chiltern Hills, the knowledge about the extent and quality of deposits suggests that they are of a sporadic nature with workable deposits confined to a few small areas.

2.1.4 Policy 1 will provide protection to the most important mineral deposits by the identification of a Mineral Consultation Area as shown on Map1, whilst maintaining the Government aims of ensuring a continuity of supply. Those types of development where consultation is not required are set out in Supplementary Planning Guidance Note 5.

Policy Performance Targets

• To ensure a continuity in the supply of minerals in accordance with the latest Government objective set out in the latest MPG6;

• To safeguard important minerals deposits against other forms of development;

8 Implementation

The County Council will:

• in conjunction with the Regional Assembly and SEERAWP, secure an appropriate regional apportionment of aggregate provision;

• safeguard the most important mineral deposits from other forms of development by implementing the Mineral Consultation Area procedure together with the relevant District Councils.

2.2 Aggregates Landbank

Policy 2

The County Council will aim to maintain a reserve of land with planning permission (a “permitted landbank”) based on the latest currently agreed regional apportionment figure, for the extraction of sand and gravel sufficient to provide for at least seven years supply until 2016 provided that this would not compromise the protection of the environmental interests identified in the policies of Chapter 4 of this plan.

2.2.1 Revised MPG6 sets out the annual land-won aggregate requirement for the South East England Region (2001-2016), which is currently 13.25 million tonnes per annum (mtpa). Buckinghamshire has been apportioned 0.99mtpa of this regional figure in the recommendations of the Regional Minerals Strategy Examination in Public (EIP) Panel to the Secretary of State. This is the most recent apportionment figure to be proposed and the most likely to be adopted if the Secretary of State agrees the Panel’s recommendations. The County Council therefore considers it sensible to adopt the figure of 0.99mtpa during this interim period. The guidance also says that MPAs should aim to maintain a landbank sufficient for at least 7 years extraction. In Buckinghamshire’s case, this means maintaining a landbank of at least 6.93mt (7 years at 0.99mt). The latest estimated aggregate reserves indicate that at 1 January 2004, the County Council’s total permitted landbank stood at 9.37mt. Any future revision by the Regional Assembly of the County’s apportionment will be addressed at the earliest review of the plan.

2.2.2 To ensure that Buckinghamshire can play its part by aiming to meet its apportionment, the County Council needs to attempt to provide sufficient land with planning permission so as to maintain the figure of 0.99mtpa throughout the plan period to 2016.

2.2.3 The landbank requirement based on the expected new apportionment for Buckinghamshire during the plan period up to 2016 is set out in Table 1 below. However, should the apportionment figure for Buckinghamshire be amended at any time in the Regional Minerals Strategy (or successor) then the new apportionment figure will be applied at the earliest opportunity.

2.2.4 The surplus identified in Table 1, includes the Preferred Area for future mineral working at New Denham (identified in the existing MLP) which is expected to begin production from 2006, the Preferred Area at Denham Park Farm where the original planning consent has lapsed and the current application awaits an Environmental Statement before it can be determined, and part of the Preferred Area at Broad Lane Beaconsfield. These Preferred Areas will increase the landbank by some 4.95mt. However, Government requires MPAs to make provision for a 7 year landbank of permitted reserves at the end of the plan period. This means that the County Council will need to have an identified landbank of 6.93mt of sand and gravel reserve in 2016. The implications of this requirement results in a deficit of 3.73mt in the landbank at the end of the plan period.

9 TABLE 1: Reserves Workable during the Plan Period subject to the Granting of the necessary Planning Permissions

Estimated tonnage of sand and gravel in mineral sites with planning 9.37mt permission on 01/01/04 Broad Lane – PA1 0.25mt

New Denham – PA2 3.00mt

Denham Park Farm – PA3 1.7mt

TOTAL LIKELY TO BE AVAILABLE BY 01/01/07 14.32mt

Less 13 years production @ 0.99mtpa 12.87mt

Total Remaining at end of Plan Period 1.45mt

Source: County Council data and confidential production and reserves data supplied by the industry

2.2.5 Although Government guidance requires a commitment in plans to ensure that a 7 year landbank can be maintained at the end of the plan period, MPAs are not required to make full provision for the maintenance of such a landbank at the start of the plan period but should demonstrate that such resources can be brought forward should this be necessary. If, in due course, additional resources are required, then the County Council will consider various options such as sites identified by objectors at previous local plan inquiries and sites deleted from previous Minerals Local Plans.

2.2.6 The County Council intends to follow this guidance, and will not therefore identify additional Preferred Areas other than those currently set out in this plan and not yet having received planning permission. However, there will be ongoing monitoring of the Plan so as to ensure that a 7 year commitment can be met at the end of this period.

2.2.7 This approach is based on the fact that at the start of 2004 Buckinghamshire had a permitted landbank of 9.5 years(9.37 ÷ 0.99). However, it is estimated that if the 3 Preferred Areas referred to in Table 1 are permitted, then the actual permitted landbank at the beginning of 2007 would be 18.3 years (18.07mt ÷ 0.99) which would be one of the largest in the South East England Region.

Policy Performance Target

• To maintain a landbank based on the expected apportionment of 0.99mtpa throughout the plan period.

Implementation

So as to maintain the agreed landbank, the County Council will:

• favourably consider planning applications in Preferred Areas and the area of search which meet the criteria set out in this Plan.

10 2.3 Preferred Areas for Sand and Gravel Extraction

Policy 3

The County Council will give favourable consideration to applications for sand and gravel extraction in the Preferred Areas shown on Map 2, subject to there being no conflict with other relevant policies in this plan. Working within individual areas shall be subject to the maximum production limits, phasing and access requirements and other constraints set out in Appendix A of this Plan.

2.3.1 Government advice (MPG1) is that development plans for minerals should provide a clear guide to mineral operators and the public where mineral extraction is likely in principle to be acceptable, and where not acceptable. MLPs must therefore identify such locations and show how the MPA proposes to provide its supply of minerals. “Acceptability” in principle will be subject to consistency with the General Environmental policies set out in Chapter 4 of this Plan, together with other relevant development control requirements.

2.3.2 MPG1 states that MLPs should indicate areas for possible future working and show these on a proposals map. There is only merit in so identifying land where it is underlain by economically workable deposits of mineral. However, accurate knowledge of the resource will vary, and so different designations are required to reflect the degree of certainty about the quality of deposits. Current Government advice is that these areas may take the form of “Specific Sites”, “Preferred Areas” or “Areas of Search”.

2.3.3 To reflect this situation, this Plan identifies tightly-defined Preferred Areas and a broader Area of Search for future mineral working elsewhere in the plan area. The Proposals Map (Map 2) show these areas.

2.3.4 Preferred Areas 1 and 2 (PAs 1and 2) identified in this Plan have been brought forward from the Review of the RMLP 1996-2006, and have yet to receive planning consent. They are located at Broad Lane, Beaconsfield and New Denham. Planning applications on both of these Preferred Areas are imminent. It is likely that any mineral extraction within PA1 (Broad Lane) during the life of the Plan will be relatively small scale due to highway restrictions placed on Broad Lane. PA3 is located at Denham Park Farm near Denham Green and like PA1, has been identified as a Preferred Area since 1981. Unlike PAs 1 and 2, PA3 has received planning consent which has subsequently lapsed and has therefore been removed from the permitted landbank figure set out in Table1. The County Council require an Environmental Statement to be submitted by the applicant before PA3 can be reconsidered. All three Preferred Areas are more fully described in Appendix A.

2.3.5 The Preferred Areas, together with existing planning permissions, make provision for sufficient sand and gravel to meet the 7 year landbank requirement of 6.93mtpa throughout the plan period to 2016.

Policy Performance Target

• To process at least 60% of minerals-related planning applications within 13 weeks (excluding those for which an Environmental Impact Assessment is required).

11 Implementation

The County Council will:

• work with operators to promote the extraction of minerals in Preferred Areas in meeting its commitment to maintaining the County’s landbank.

2.4 Area of Search

Policy 4

Within the Area of Search shown on Map 1, planning permission will only be given for applications to extract sand and gravel deposits where such applications are consistent with other relevant policies in this Plan, particularly the General Environmental policies of Chapter 4. Any such permitted applications will contribute towards the maintenance of the landbank.

2.4.1 The Area of Search covers the whole administrative area of Buckinghamshire as shown on Map 1, with the exception of the Preferred Areas. Although there should be no need to seek additional areas for sand and gravel working beyond the Preferred Areas during the plan period, applications to work deposits in the Area of Search cannot be ruled out should the industry consider that any of these are viable.

2.4.2 It is therefore possible that some of the deposits within the Area of Search could be acceptable locations for future mineral working. However, any such application will be considered against the same criteria used for the identification of the Preferred Areas in Policy 3.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• consider applications for sand and gravel extraction in the Area of Search.

• discuss development proposals in the Area of Search with applicants to ensure that applications are not submitted prematurely, and therefore refused on timing as well as other grounds.

12 2.5 Borrow Pits and other Windfall Sites

Policy 5

Where no other appropriate source of minerals for specific road or other major projects is reasonably available, planning applications to work minerals from land which is affected by the environmental constraints listed in Policies 24and 25 of this plan will be considered on the basis of a balance between the extent to which the proposal would conflict with those policies and the environmental benefits of the mineral extraction.

Account will also be taken of the extent to which the proposal would: a) avoid heavy goods vehicle traffic movements to the construction site through nearby residential areas; and, b) provide for acceptable restoration within a short timescale, consistent with the road construction programme.

2.5.1 On occasions, it may be necessary to consider applications to work minerals for specific road or other major infrastructure projects from land which is constrained by policies in the Plan and where there are no other acceptable sources of mineral available.

2.5.2 In addition, large construction projects such as the Jubilee River and the Eton Rowing Course have produced saleable aggregates which are not intended solely or mainly for their own use are also considered ‘windfalls’. All these types of application will be considered on their merits with regard to the policies in the Plan.

2.5.3 Aggregates from “windfall sites” such as borrow pits and construction projects will be included as part of the County’s permitted reserves for landbank purposes on the basis of the actual amount of aggregate likely to be exploited.

Policy Performance Target

• To determine mineral extraction applications for borrow pits and large construction projects within 13 or 18 weeks (as appropriate) and thereby not delay the development of such nationally important schemes.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• favourably consider planning applications for the extraction of mineral from constrained sites where there are no other acceptable sources, or the development would be the least environmentally damaging option.

13 2.6 Alternative Aggregates Production

Policy 6

When considering proposals for development, the County Council will promote the use of recycled materials, where appropriate. In addition the Council will support: a) proposals for new (or extensions to existing) permanent recycling facilities for the production of secondary aggregates and other recycled materials from construction and demolition waste that accord with the requirements of Policy 10, and where it can be demonstrated that the facility would:

i) not cause unacceptable environmental effects;

ii) avoid as far as possible major residential areas;

iii) form an essential part of an integrated and sustainable waste management strategy. b) temporary proposals for the recycling of inert waste at active mineral workings, processing sites, or existing waste management facilities for a period not exceeding their permitted life and where there is no conflict with restoration proposals. c) the provision, in principle, of temporary facilities directly associated with construction, demolition and highway projects for the recovery, separation and processing of the waste materials generated, subject to operations being linked to the life of the demolition/construction project.

2.6.1 Recycled materials, including clean, excavated material from construction projects, can be used in place of primary materials in many construction and development projects. Examples of appropriate circumstances where use of recycled material should be considered include infilling requirements in the preparation of land for development, landscaping and restoration and as replacement for primary aggregates in the construction materials for buildings.

2.6.2 In line with Government guidance, the need to conserve materials yet ensure an adequate supply, means that increased use must be made of secondary and recycled materials, or ‘alternative aggregates’. National and regional guidance also requires that more construction and demolition waste is recycled, by setting specific targets for this activity.

2.6.3 In Buckinghamshire, there is limited production of secondary aggregate, the only materials being waste glass and scrap tyres. A greater proportion of recycled aggregates such as road planings and construction and demolition waste are produced in the county. It is these materials which must be promoted for re-use in Buckinghamshire by the County Council and other developers, thereby enhancing the sustainable approach adopted by the Council.

14 Alternative Aggregates Target

2.6.4 An assessment of waste management data in the draft South East Regional Waste Management Strategy reveals that an estimated 1,032,000 tonnes of construction and demolition waste was produced in Buckinghamshire in 2000/01. Using the same data, it is also estimated that 33% of this was recycled.

2.6.5 The Regional Waste Management Strategy (RWMS) set a target of 60% recycling of construction and demolition waste by 2015. This equates to 519,000 tonnes per annum in Buckinghamshire, when allowance is made for the contribution of facilities that are exempt from planning permission or temporary on-site operations.

Policy Performance Target

• To recycle 60% of the county’s construction and demolition waste by 2015, equating to some 519,000 tonnes per annum.

2.6.6 Sufficient recycling facilities will be needed to meet this target. Currently construction and demolition recycling in Buckinghamshire is carried out predominantly on sites associated with mineral extraction and landfill, which are subject to time limits for cessation of operations, and are not scheduled to be in operation at the end of the Plan period. Other recycling operations take place at exempt or temporary facilities.

2.6.7 It is therefore likely that new permanent facilities will be needed within the Plan period, and Policy 6 supports applications for this type of development in appropriate locations. In general terms, such facilities should be located in close proximity to the main areas of construction and demolition waste arisings, relating broadly to the main towns of Buckinghamshire, with good links to the strategic road network.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• promote the use of alternative aggregates wherever practicable by endeavouring to ensure that adequate facilities are available to meet the target of recycling 60% of the county’s construction and demolition waste by 2015.

15 2.7 The Transport of Aggregates

Policy 7

The County Council will encourage the fullest use of rail and water for the transport of bulk materials, including importation into the county of raw materials and fuel used in the construction industry. To this end, the County Council will support the development of new rail aggregates depot and wharf facilities where they accord with the principles set out in Supplementary Planning Guidance Note 6.

The County Council will seek to safeguard the existing rail aggregates depot site at Thorney Mill Road, Iver as indicated on Map 2 and that site formerly used at Griffin Lane, Aylesbury as indicated on Map 3. Any other site where planning permission is given for the establishment of new wharves or permanent rail aggregates depots in accordance with this policy will also be safeguarded so as not to prejudice the permitted use.

2.7.1 The South East Region is a net importer of aggregate. This need is likely to increase in the future as land won supplies become more scarce. It is important therefore that facilities for the importation of primary and secondary aggregates are made available.

2.7.2 Locations for such facilities will need to be well sited close to the Strategic Transport Network (STN). They will also need to achieve high environmental standards and accord with the principle of sustainability in comparison with the environmental effects arising from the use of alternative sources of supply and modes of transport.

Policy Performance Target

• An increased proportion of aggregates to be transported by rail and water.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• work with the District Councils to safeguard suitable sites for the importation of aggregates by rail and water.

16 2.8 Other Minerals

Policy 8

Applications for the extraction of all minerals other than sand and gravel, will be considered against all relevant policies of this Plan, and in particular Policy 24. The County Council will continue to support the Chiltern brick industry in maintaining a supply of material to meet the demand for traditional Chiltern bricks.

2.8.1 Until recently, both Chiltern and Fletton bricks were produced in Buckinghamshire. The production of Fletton bricks at Calvert ceased in 1990. However, there are still large permitted reserves of Lower Oxford clay around Calvert although extraction is unlikely.

2.8.2 The Chiltern brick industry uses clay from the Reading Beds for the manufacture of high quality bricks. There are moderate deposits of the Reading clay in the Chilterns, however the clay which is suitable for brick-making occurs in only relatively small areas.

Policy Performance Target

• A continued supply of local brickclay to serve the Chiltern brick industry.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• sympathetically consider applications to extract brickclay in the Chiltern Hills so as to continue the localised employment industry and the production of vernacular building materials.

2.9 Oil Exploration

Policy 9

Application for exploratory works for oil and gas will be considered against all relevant policies of this Plan. Proposals for appraisal drilling will be approved provided that the local environmental impacts are not of such a scale as to override the national interest associated with oil exploration. Particular regard will be made to the long-term suitability of the site for commercial production and distribution.

2.9.1 Although no commercial reserves of oil and gas are known to exist in Buckinghamshire, an exploration licence does exist within the county. However, there is a need for a policy to safeguard the county’s environment should the County Council receive applications for preliminary appraisal works.

17 Implementation

The County Council will:

• support the oil and gas industry by sympathetically considering applications for exploration works provided that they do not threaten the environment.

18 19 Chapter 3 Waste

3.1 Overarching Waste Management Principles

Policy 10 a) The determining authority will promote action and encourage measures to assist in slowing the rate of growth in waste over the period of this Plan, and will particularly encourage waste reduction in all development strategies. The Council will plan for net self-sufficiency by 2016 through provision, as proposals are identified, for management capacity equivalent to the amount of waste arising in Buckinghamshire and requiring management within the county, together with a declining amount of imported waste from London. A degree of flexibility will be applied in relation to waste movements and the proximity principle in identifying the best practicable environmental option (BPEO).

All proposals for new waste management facilities within Buckinghamshire during the life of this Plan will be expected to demonstrate conformity with the following principles:

i) meet an identified waste management need, consistent with the policies for local and regional wastes set out in this Plan;

ii) support the waste hierarchy, and represent the best practicable environmental option (BPEO) for the waste stream(s) it will serve;

iii) not inhibit or prevent the development of more sustainable waste management options further up the waste hierarchy;

iv) conform to the proximity principle;

v) allow for the recovery of materials and/or energy from waste, wherever practicable. b) Priority will be given to proposals located at suitable sites with an existing waste management use. Where this is not possible, new permanent waste management facilities should be located on sites with the following characteristics:

i) previous or existing waste management land use; or

ii) previous or existing industrial land use; or

iii) contaminated or derelict land; or

20

iv) agricultural buildings; and

v) accessible from existing urban areas or major new or planned development; and

vi) have, or will have, good transport connections, including where possible rail and water.

Development of new waste management facilities at sites in the open countryside will not be precluded where there is a demonstrable need for the facility; the proposal is consistent with the proximity principle; and no other suitable alternative sites exist.

Proposals will be expected to conform with other relevant policies contained in this Plan and should also be consistent with the Council's current Supplementary Planning Guidance.

3.1.1 Policy 10 reflects the general aims of both national and regional waste guidance, which seeks to achieve the reduction of waste from that presently produced, an increase in the recycling of waste, and an increasing diversion from landfill. The framework for the policies and proposals for future waste management in Buckinghamshire to 2016 has been provided by PPG10 Planning and Waste Management and No Time to Waste (the Regional Assembly’s Regional Waste Management Strategy). This Plan therefore sets out the land-use requirements for future waste planning in Buckinghamshire - there are, however, also regulatory requirements applied by the Environment Agency through a licensing regime which must be met prior to most waste management development (see the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994). It is important to understand that the waste recycling, recovery and diversion from landfill objectives of this guidance relates to all controlled waste – municipal, commercial and industrial, and construction and demolition wastes (most agricultural waste falls under a different regime). Of these sources, construction & demolition waste is by far the largest proportion of waste to be managed, followed by commercial & industrial, and then (much lower) municipal waste.

3.1.2 To set these relative waste sources in a Buckinghamshire context, using the best available 1 information it is estimated that, in all, about 2.3 million tonnes of waste (including imported wastes) were managed in the county during 2000/01. Some 45% (1,032,000 tonnes) was construction and demolition waste, of which only about one third was recycled; about 33% (765,900 tonnes) was commercial and industrial waste, of which about half was landfilled; and only 21% (488,900 tonnes) was municipal waste, of which about 85% went to landfill.

3.1.3 Of this overall total for municipal waste, about half results from Buckinghamshire’s own arisings, and the remainder is imported mainly from London. These various percentage contributions of waste to be managed in Buckinghamshire as between construction and demolition, commercial and industrial, and municipal, agree well with those identified for the region in the Regional Waste Management Strategy [RWMS] (‘No Time to Waste’, paragraph 3.4). In this regard, therefore, apart from the relatively high level of municipal waste imports from London, Buckinghamshire is reasonably typical of the South East, and so the RWMS forms a particularly helpful framework for the policies and proposals contained in this Plan.

1 ERM consultants, for SEERA, ‘South East Regional Waste Management Statement (Final Report)’, June 2003 and Babtie study for BCC op cit – see paragraph 2.6.4 above.

21 3.1.4 A consultant report for the Regional Assembly (Waste Management Capacity in the South East Region, MEL and Golder Associates, June 2004) provides useful information about waste management capacity in Buckinghamshire as at 2004. The report indicates an available total capacity of some 2,525,000 tonnes in 2004, as follows:

Facility Capacity 2004 (tonnes) No. of Facilities Surveyed

Non-Inert Landfill 1,466,000 10 Inert Landfill 537,000 7 Composting 70,000 2 Vehicle Dismantlers 25,000 2 Metal Recyclers 88,000 4 Materials Recycling Facility 72,000 1 Crushing/Screening C&D Waste 127,000 2 HWRC Sites 62,000 9 Hazardous Waste Transfer 10,000 1 Other Transfer 68,000 4

TOTAL 2,525,000 42

The report further indicates how existing available waste management capacity at 2004 may be expected to decline in the period to 2016 (to 1,239,000 tonnes in the absence of new provision) - that for landfill is particularly significant (see paragraph 3.9.3 below). The location of Buckinghamshire's existing waste management facilities can be seen on Map 6.

3.1.5 This country currently recycles less than any other northern European country, with the majority of discarded goods going straight into landfill sites. The amount of waste to be disposed of in the South East England Region is growing by 3% per annum. It is therefore essential that waste facilities are provided so as to re-use, recycle or have value recovered (such as energy from waste) from the growing mountain of waste. The County Council supports the national waste hierarchy which is to prevent, re-use, recycle, recover and dispose (mostly to landfill sites) of waste – in that order – to reduce resource and emissions burdens upon the environment. Therefore, the greatest emphasis needs to be placed on the minimisation of waste at source.

3.1.6 Beyond this, to help achieve the reduction of the present levels of Buckinghamshire’s waste that goes to landfill, new facilities will need to be provided for the recycling and recovery of waste.

3.1.7 For Buckinghamshire’s municipal waste, proposals for new facilities exist. The Waste Strategy for Buckinghamshire (WSB) (August, 2002), prepared by the County and District Councils to identify operational (public) waste management requirements to 2021, sets out a number of short and medium term waste management initiatives for the period to 2010/11 which, if implemented, would allow the Government’s prevailing “Best Value” (Statutory Performance Standards) for household waste recycling and composting to be achieved (beyond about 2010 the WSB envisages that recycling and composting schemes, on their own, will increasingly become insufficient to meet recovery and diversion targets). These WSB short/medium term initiatives are based upon the following main “themes”:

• Achieving greater recycling efficiency at the County Council’s Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs);

• The introduction of kerbside Green Waste collection (by WDC) within Wycombe district and its centralised composting (for BCC) in the High Wycombe area at High Heavens;

• Other kerbside collection enhancements (additional materials) by District Councils elsewhere in the County.

22 3.1.8 At present, there are several recycling and composting facilities operated by waste management companies located at existing waste management sites within the county, but given the pressing need to provide additional facilities, new permanent sites will increasingly need to be identified which conform to the criteria set out in Policy 10. This plan adopts a site-specific approach to the provision of identified waste facilities where needs are known (see Policies 14 and 15), but also recognises the requirement to set out appropriate criteria for the consideration of proposals that will be brought forward by the waste management industry in other locations over the Plan period.

3.1.9 As an indication of the possible scale of future needs, background work undertaken for the Regional Assembly to inform the Regional Waste Management Strategy (RWMS) suggests that, to achieve its targets for waste recovery and diversion for all wastes (i.e. municipal, commercial & industrial, construction & demolition wastes) in Buckinghamshire, by the end of the plan period (2016) indicative capacities of about 100,000 tonnes of composting capacity, 1.3 million tonnes of recycling capacity, and some 400,000 tonnes of “other” recovery capacity (broadly of one or more of the “high tech” waste management processes) may need to have been provided. Conversely, the total amount of waste landfilled could fall below 600,000 tonnes. These figures include the management of imported waste as well as that generated locally. The Regional Assembly’s calculations suggest that, by 2015, Buckinghamshire could need the equivalent of 17 additional (new) composting facilities of some 5,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) capacity and 48 small recycling facilities of some 25,000 tpa capacity, and 4 "other" recovery/diversion facilities.

3.1.10 The RWMS indicates the Regional Assembly’s wish that Waste Planning Authorities should adopt policies and proposals to assist in the delivery of its targets. The County Council supports the RWMS and expects that the Assembly’s proposed targets will be adopted into Regional Planning Guidance (as Alterations to RPG9). This Plan, therefore, is based upon the RWMS targets as set out in the “Policy Performance Targets” below.

3.1.11 Finally, many new (permanent) waste facilities will need to be located close to the origin of the waste that they manage and will, therefore, generally be close to the towns. The provision of some waste facilities in adjacent countryside locations, particularly in the “urban fringe”, will be necessary (and may in any event be the best location for some activities, such as composting). The RWMS proposes (at paragraph 2.107) that, in future, policy constraints including Green Belt, and in exceptional circumstances Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and National Parks, should not be considered as a barrier to development of waste management facilities if the objectives of more environmentally sustainable forms of waste management are to be met, particularly with regard to the proximity principle. However specific justification will still be necessary for identifying suitable sites in such locations.

3.1.12 Policies 24 and 25 of this Plan indicate those locations with intrinsic importance where development for waste management purposes will be resisted. However, elsewhere, there may be new opportunities to provide significant environmental benefits such as habitat creation, protection, enhancement and landscaping both during works and in any subsequent restoration plans following the completion of works.

3.1.13 Access to these facilities will be important on operational grounds and to assist success in attracting recyclable materials. Permanent facilities (especially where not linked to former mineral workings) may offer more opportunities to achieve good accessible sites. Considerations will be proximity and reasonable road connection to the County's Strategic Transport Network (road and rail). It should be noted that Government advice (DTLR Circular 4/2001) sets out a general presumption against the provision of new direct accesses onto motorways and high speed trunk roads. This consideration, of course, may have access implications for local road networks.

23 Policy Performance Targets

• To seek to reduce growth of all waste to 1% per annum by 2010 and to take measures during the Plan period which will facilitate a reduction to an increase of 0.5% per annum by 2020.

• By 2005, to seek to recycle or compost 34% of municipal waste, 40% of commercial & industrial waste, and 45% of construction & demolition waste.

• By 2010, to seek to recycle or compost 40% of municipal waste, 50% of commercial & industrial waste, and 55% of construction & demolition waste.

• By 2015, to seek to recycle or compost 50% of municipal waste, 55% of commercial & industrial waste, and 60% of construction & demolition waste.

• To provide and support appropriate existing and new waste facilities in aiming to meet the national and local recycling and recovery targets up to 2020 set by the Government and the regional targets proposed by the Regional Assembly to 2025.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• work with the waste management industry to provide sufficient appropriately sited new permanent waste facilities to allow the targets for recycling, composting and recovery set out in this Plan to be achieved.

24 3.2 Imported Wastes & Landfill Sites

Policy 11

Within a context of husbanding existing voidspace and reducing landfilling, provision will only be made during the life of this Plan for a declining amount of imported waste to be landfilled within Buckinghamshire. In particular: a) the County Council will resist proposals that seek to perpetuate existing consented landfill sites, or the creation of new ones, where a significant proportion of the waste to be dealt with would come from outside the region (e.g. the London and South West regions); b) new landfill proposals, where a significant proportion of the waste to be managed would come from outside the region (e.g. the London and South West regions), will only be granted permission:

i) within an overall context where the amount of imported waste to be landfilled within Buckinghamshire is declining;

ii) where the imported waste is limited to that requiring landfill after the waste exporting Authorities have met their targets for recycling and composting, recovery and diversion for household, municipal and commercial/industrial wastes contained in Waste Strategy 2000 (or successor); and,

iii) where, by 2016, they will only provide for residual waste that has been subject to recovery processes or from which value cannot be recovered.

Proposals for facilities primarily intended for management of imported wastes by any means other than landfill will not normally be consented.

Provision for recovery and processing capacity for imported waste will only exceptionally be made where there is a proven need, with demonstrable benefits to Buckinghamshire including improving the viability of recovery and reprocessing activity within the county, and where this is consistent with the proximity principle.

3.2.1 Buckinghamshire has some of the largest void space in the South East of England region, with the main location being Calvert in Aylesbury Vale District. As well as taking local waste for landfill, the Calvert rail link provides a major opportunity for large conurbations such as London and Bristol to dispose of some of their waste. The county is therefore presently a major importer of (substantially untreated) municipal waste from London, with a smaller amount coming from the South West region.

3.2.2 The Government has set targets for all waste authorities to reduce the waste going to landfill. Emerging regional waste strategies for the South East and the East of England promote greater regional self-sufficiency in waste management.

3.2.3 London currently has limited capacity for waste processing and recovery and very little landfill capacity. This waste management capacity, even with presently planned additions, will fall well short of 25 requirements and it is clear that London will continue to be reliant upon capacity in surrounding areas for some time. The urgent need for London to improve its self sufficiency was stressed by the Panel of the Examination in Public on the London Plan, including acknowledgement that London cannot expect to rely in future upon exporting waste outside its boundaries in the same way as it has done with landfill in the past. The Regional Waste Management Strategy therefore contains policies which seek a continuing decline in London’s exports into the region. Imports will generally be limited to landfill of waste and use of materials in landfill restoration that cannot be recycled or recovered within London or residues of processing and treatment. London will therefore be expected to reduce its dependence on landfill, including at sites in Buckinghamshire, at least as quickly as does the South East through the application of its regional targets for recovery and diversion from landfill. The County Council has made representations to this effect to the Mayor of London’s Draft Municipal Waste Strategy.

3.2.4 Policy 11 reflects these objectives, although it nonetheless acknowledges a continuing need for a declining amount of imported residual waste to be landfilled in Buckinghamshire through the Plan period.

Policy Performance Targets

• To reduce the amount of imported untreated waste from outside the region (e.g. the London and South West regions) landfilled in Buckinghamshire over the Plan period in line with the emerging Regional Waste Management Strategy.

• By 2016 to only provide for the landfilling from London (and other wastes from outside the region) of imported residual waste that has been subject to recovery processes or from which value cannot be extracted.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• operate its development control powers in conformity with the requirements of Policy 11 to reduce, over time, available capacity for imported untreated waste;

• support, through participation in the (waste) Regional Technical Advisory Board (SERTAB) and the Regional Assembly’s waste strategy, achieving the regional objectives of reduced import of waste from outside the South East region (eg, in particular, from the London and South West regions);

• encourage major waste exporting areas to plan for, and implement, sufficient new waste management capacity to meet their recycling and recovery targets.

26 3.3 Integrated Waste Management

Policy 12

The County Council will give favourable consideration to proposals for the co- location of waste management processes to achieve new larger integrated facilities where there will be operational, transport cost and environmental benefits, and the proposal will not be at the expense of existing waste management operations located closer to the source of the waste.

3.3.1 Government guidance acknowledges that the co-location of waste management facilities on one site can provide significant environmental benefits by reducing the overall volumes of traffic and allowing flexible integrated facilities to be developed. Co-location can enable economies of scale (operational and transport) and can assist the separation of waste for different types of recovery on one site. Sites offering good transport links, especially direct access to rail and waterway can be particularly appropriate. Policy 12 is therefore intended to encourage the development of appropriate co-located facilities, particularly through the development of suitable existing waste facilities capable of expansion and operating a range of management methods, although it is likely that new co-located sites will also be needed.

3.3.2 The development of integrated waste management (resource recovery facilities) and new resource parks accommodating a mix of activities can have proximity and technical/operational advantages where they meet environmental objectives. There may be significant new business and employment opportunities arising from moving towards such collocated resource recovery approaches.

3.3.3 However, this plan makes provision for a range of types and scales of facilities to provide for a rapidly growing capacity for resource recovery activities for all controlled waste streams. The need is for an overall mix and a network of facilities to address the emerging shortfall in the county's waste infrastructure and there will also be a continuing need for local waste management operations proximate to the source of waste arisings. The development of new co-located facilities should not, generally, inhibit such operations.

Policy Performance Target

• By 2016, the provision by the waste management industry of co-located waste management facilities proximate to the major sources of waste generation (the larger towns).

Implementation

The County Council will:

• encourage and support appropriate proposals from the waste management industry for the co- located and integrated treatment/processing of waste;

• work with the waste management industry to identify suitable opportunities and to safeguard sites for the co-located and integrated treatment/processing of waste near to the larger towns.

27 3.4 Recycling/Composting Facilities

Policy 13

The County Council will support proposals for the development of materials recovery facilities, facilities to store and process recyclable materials and permanent (enclosed) composting plants where they will serve an identified need that cannot be met by existing facilities and accord with other policies in the Plan.

Locational requirements for the above will be as set out in Policy 10.

The County Council will also support proposals for non-enclosed (windrow) composting: a) within the area, and for a period not exceeding the life of, an existing consent for a waste management or related use; b) within the area, and for a period not exceeding the life of, an existing consent for mineral extraction; c) on contaminated or derelict land.

In addition, proposals for small-scale, community or agriculturally-based composting facilities may be permitted on agricultural land in proximity to the community or land that they are intended to serve.

3.4.1 In line with national and regional guidance, the County Council is striving to reduce the amount of waste going directly to landfill. Biodegradable wastes, in particular, need to be diverted from landfill to reduce emissions to the environment and potential implications for groundwater in line with the requirements of the EU Landfill Directive and national guidance (see paragraph 3.9.4 below).

3.4.2 The Regional Waste Management Strategy proposes that development plans, such as this Plan, should make adequate provision for materials recovery facilities (MRFs), composting plants and facilities to store and process materials from all waste streams to allow national, regional and local recycling/composting targets to be achieved. Paragraph 3.1.9 has already discussed some of the potential implications in terms of the possible need for new compost and recycling facilities.

3.4.3 In July 2004, a new state of the art composting facility as recommended by the Waste Strategy for Buckinghamshire, which converts garden and food waste into a safe and valuable organic fertiliser, was officially opened at the High Heavens Waste Site to the south-west of High Wycombe. Instead of going to landfill, the facility turns garden and food waste into new organic agricultural fertilisers, which is of direct benefit as a soil improver. The partner organisations hope in time to produce a fertiliser that local people can use in their gardens. Over £3m of funding from DEFRA has covered the cost of building the composting facility and purchasing green wheeled bins distributed to 12,000 households in the Wycombe district.

Policy Performance Target

• By 2016, to have made appropriate provision for new composting and recycling facilities in the county 2 to allow the RWMS targets (as confirmed in RPG Alterations) to be achieved.

2 The Regional Assembly’s calculations suggest that, by 2015, Buckinghamshire could need the equivalent of 17 additional (new) composting facilities of some 5,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) capacity and 48 small recycling facilities of some 25,000 tpa capacity 28 Implementation

The County Council will:

• work with the District Councils (as Waste Collection Authorities) to increase the kerbside collection of separated recyclable/compostable materials;

• work with the waste management industry, and others, to identify suitable opportunities and to safeguard sites that will provide new recycling and composting facilities;

3.5 Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs)

Policy 14

The County Council will support proposals for: a) new Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) sites that will develop and improve the existing network, particularly to serve areas of planned growth; b) enhancements to existing HWRC sites that will improve their operational capacity.

A location for a potential new HWRC has been identified at Aston Clinton, primarily to serve the needs of Aylesbury, and is shown on Map 3.

The County Council will put forward additional sites as necessary to address identified emerging needs and service improvements during the Plan period.

3.5.1 Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs) are facilities provided by the County Council for residents to dispose of waste that is usually excluded from the regular household waste collection service. Over the years, the network of nine HWRC sites throughout Buckinghamshire has proved popular with county residents and have successfully increased the amount of materials recycled. Most of the existing HWRCs are concentrated in southern Buckinghamshire reflecting existing patterns of housing and population distribution.

3.5.2 The Waste Strategy for Buckinghamshire (August, 2002) prepared by the County and District Councils identified the need to improve the HWRC network to increase accessibility for the public, reduce congestion and cut vehicle queuing times. The WSB proposed a new site to serve the Aylesbury area, the relocation of the existing Beaconsfield site, and the remodelling of existing sites at Amersham, Chesham, Buckingham, and High Heavens (near High Wycombe). Public response to the Consultation on Issues (May, 2002) that underpins this Plan showed clear support for a new facility to be provided at Aylesbury.

3.5.3 Demand at the existing HWRC site on the western side of Aylesbury at Rabans Lane has been such that, during the summer, long queues develop. This site serves the whole of Aylesbury and the surrounding villages. In addition, the town has been suggested as a growth location in the Milton Keynes and South Midlands Sub-Regional Strategy. Having examined the existing and expected pattern of demand and site options, the County Council considers that an additional site on the eastern side of Aylesbury is needed which would serve not only that part of Aylesbury, but also large villages such as Aston Clinton and Wendover which, in turn, would ease the pressure on the Rabans Lane site.

29 3.5.4 Following consultation with Aylesbury Vale District Council, a comprehensive survey was undertaken on the eastern side of Aylesbury whereby several possible sites were explored. Further work revealed only one of these sites was suitable, located at College Road North, Aston Clinton, described in greater detail in Appendix A. The development of the site will require the prior provision of necessary improvements to College Road North sufficient to allow vehicles waiting to enter industrial premises along that road to be parked free of the highway and therefore not to conflict with vehicles visiting the HWRC.

3.5.5 There is a need to keep the performance of the HWRC network under review throughout the life of this Plan.

Policy Performance Target

• By 2010 to have developed a new HWRC on the eastern side of Aylesbury.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• undertake regular studies to identify emerging imbalances between demand for HWRC facilities and the County Council’s existing network of sites within the county. Thereby to propose and develop additional HWRC facilities and the modernisation of existing sites to address residents’ needs and to facilitate additional recycling of brought materials;

• undertake improvements at existing HWRC sites to improve their convenience for users and to increase recycling performance;

• develop at least two new HWRC facilities during the Plan period.

30 3.6 Waste Transfer Facilities

Policy 15

The County Council will support the development of suitable sites for new transfer and bulking stations at a range of scales, providing that they are: a) intended to meet an identified need that cannot be met by an existing facility; and, b) comply with the other policies contained in this Plan, particularly the General Environmental Policies in Chapter 4.

To that end, the County Council will promote the development of waste transfer facilities at High Heavens near High Wycombe (Inset Area A, Map 2) and at the London Road depot in Amersham (Map 2).

The County Council will also seek to safeguard a site in the Richings Park area of South Buckinghamshire (Appendix A, Map 2) from development which would prejudice its possible future use for a multi-modal waste transfer facility, and will test this proposal further in studies of future waste management options to be undertaken for the area. The Council will therefore seek the co-operation of South Bucks District Council to achieve this end.

The use of rail transport will be encouraged wherever possible, particularly to serve large facilities.

3.6.1 Waste transfer is the essential link between local collection systems and the local, regional and (for some wastes) national facilities for recycling, processing and recovery. Most materials have a low value until bulked up. There is therefore a growing need for bulking and transfer stations to minimise travel by smaller waste collection vehicles and to “feed” larger and more cost effective waste processing facilities. Wherever possible these should enable the use of more sustainable transport modes, including rail.

3.6.2 The large amount of waste generated in Wycombe district is currently taken direct by refuse vehicles to landfill. This adds to the increasing congestion on the local highway network, and a solution is required. The Waste Strategy for Buckinghamshire has identified a future need for a facility in the Wycombe area to transfer and bulk up the district's household waste prior to its transport for treatment or landfill elsewhere. The WSB recommended the co-location of centralised composting and transfer facilities alongside the existing waste management operation at High Heavens on the basis that it is close to Wycombe’s waste arisings and has land available to use. However the site is in the Green Belt and is constrained by the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Views on this important issue were sought in the Consultation on Issues (May 2002).

3.6.3 The County Council has subsequently engaged consultants to consider several possible sites around the High Wycombe area. Taking into account criteria such as access, including links to the Strategic Transport Network (STN), the consultants considered, notwithstanding the planning policy constraints, that the High Heavens site was the most suitable.

3.6.4 Finally, the County Council has commissioned a consultant study of “Multi-modal” transfer possibilities within Buckinghamshire. Suitable inter-modal locations are exceedingly rare and, in principle, remaining opportunities should be safeguarded from other development. The consultants have concluded that a potential waste interchange opportunity from road to rail or waterway exists in

31 the Richings Park area of South Buckinghamshire. This possibility requires further examination but, in the meantime, the Council will seek to safeguard this general location (see Appendix A and Map 2).

Policy Performance Targets

• By 2010, to have developed a waste transfer facility at High Heavens to serve the High Wycombe area.

• By 2010, to have developed a waste transfer facility at London Road depot to serve the Amersham area.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• work with the waste management industry and the District Councils to provide appropriately sited waste transfer facilities that will form a consistent infrastructure of strategically located transfer (and recycling) facilities.

3.7 Anaerobic and Mechanical-Biological Treatment Plant

Policy 16

The County Council will support the development and demonstration of anaerobic digestion (AD), mechanical-biological treatment (MBT), and other advanced techniques that are expected to make a growing contribution towards the recovery of waste and energy generation. The County Council will accordingly require: a) anaerobic digestion plant to include gas collection and energy recovery from the process; b) MBT plant to operate upon residual waste as a feedstock to process that waste to recover further recyclable materials, and to produce a solid recovered fuel (SRF) from the stabilised residues from which energy can be recovered. The Council will not normally support proposals for the landfilling of these residues, since this would be contrary to the meeting of Landfill Directive targets. Such proposals will only be acceptable in the special circumstances where an absence of opportunities to recover energy can be demonstrated, and where landfilling of the stabilised residues would accord with the Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO).

3.7.1 Anaerobic digestion of biodegradable (“organic”) waste converts up to 60% of the material into gas which, following treatment, can be burned to produce electricity and/or heat. The residue is inert and can be used as a soil improver or landfill cover or further treated to improve its qualities as a compost. This technology therefore presents some advantages (energy & a useful organic product) over other “hightech” recovery methods and should therefore, in principle, be encouraged.

3.7.2 Mechanical-biological treatment (MBT), where recyclable materials are recovered from sorted (or mixed) waste and refuse-derived fuel (from which energy can be recovered) or other residue is produced, is another recovery technology which reduces landfill whilst offering other advantages. MBT (as a process known as “Bio-drying”) was therefore favourably viewed in the Waste Strategy for

32 Buckinghamshire (WSB). MBT operations within Buckinghamshire will only be considered as part of an integrated approach that allows for the highest level of recycling and recovery of materials practicable, and not as an alternative to waste management operations that are higher up the waste hierarchy.

3.7.3 The WSB also proposed that, in the longer term, it might be appropriate to site such a plant (of about 60,000 tonnes per annum throughput) at High Heavens near High Wycombe. Detailed studies have yet to be undertaken of this proposal to test need in the context of planning policy, environmental implications or viability. In view of the qualities of AD (paragraph 3.7.1) it is likely that the Council would wish to also examine the potential of this technology.

Policy Performance Targets

• By 2010, to have formulated a longer-term waste strategy for the management of Buckinghamshire’s residual municipal waste which examines all “high tech” options, including AD and MBT.

• By 2010, to have undertaken a study of the operational case for MBT or AD processing facilities at High Heavens.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• encourage the waste management industry to develop and pilot demonstration anaerobic digestion (AD) and mechanical-biological treatment (MBT) facilities within the region and to thereby establish their advantages for Buckinghamshire.

3.8 Energy from Waste Plant

Policy 17

The County Council will support proposals for incineration, pyrolysis or gasification plant (“energy from waste”) only as part of an integrated approach to waste management that will increase the recovery of materials, and where: a) the need for the facility can be demonstrated; b) the proposed facility will operate to the highest pollution control standards; c) the site is environmentally acceptable and complies with national advice to deal with waste in accordance with the BPEO (including an assessment of possible alternative sites which demonstrates that the proposed site will provide the most benefits or least damage to the environment); d) the facility will include measures to recycle, compost and recover materials where this has not been carried out elsewhere; and aim to incorporate combined generation and distribution of heat and power. Proposals for incineration or other thermal waste process that do not include the recovery of energy will not normally be permitted.

33 3.8.1 Incineration of mixed waste with energy recovery is a proven technology and there are a number of existing and planned plants in the region. However it is often opposed locally due to fears about environmental, amenity and health impacts. Incinerators are increasingly strictly regulated and the Environment Agency has stated that emissions of pollutants have declined dramatically in recent years (Environment Agency Position Statement, July 2002).

3.8.2 Advanced thermal technologies, such as pyrolysis and gasification are often regarded as (potentially) more acceptable and efficient means of recovering energy. However these technologies are relatively unproven in this country and, for this reason, the Waste Strategy for Buckinghamshire did not recommend a role for them in meeting Buckinghamshire’s waste management needs to 2021. The Regional Waste Management Strategy (RWMS) similarly concludes that it will not be prudent to wait for these technologies to develop before taking action to increase recovery and diversion of waste from landfill. Nevertheless, in view of the potential advantages which these technologies may come to offer the County Council will keep progress under review.

3.8.3 Any proposal for Energy from Waste plant within Buckinghamshire will need to fully comply with Policy 17 and demonstrate need, assurances on pollution control and location, and show that it is part of an integrated approach that allows for the highest level of recycling and recovery of materials practicable, and not as an alternative to waste management operations that are higher up the waste hierarchy. It should also aim to incorporate combined generation and distribution of heat and power.

Policy Performance Targets

• By 2010, to have formulated a longer-term waste strategy/contract for the management of Buckinghamshire’s residual municipal waste which examines all “high tech” options.

• Any proposals for Energy from Waste facilities within Buckinghamshire to be fully in conformity with Policy 17 as part of integrated proposals that do not compromise recycling and composting strategies.

• Any contracts involving incineration formulated by the County Council (as Waste Disposal Authority) to be designed so as not to compromise recycling and composting strategies.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• operate its development control powers in full accordance with Policy 17 should any applications be made for Energy from Waste plant in Buckinghamshire;

• ensure, when devising future contractual arrangements for the management of Buckinghamshire’s municipal waste, that these fully accord with the principles of the Waste Hierarchy and the BPEO.

34 3.9 Landfill and Landraising

Policy 18

The County Council will provide for a continuing but declining landfill capacity within the county over the plan period to serve local and regional needs, consistent with Policy 11.

To ensure the continuity of landfill, the County Council will seek to husband void space within engineered landfill sites and ensure that they are primarily used for the disposal of residual treated non-inert waste.

Permission will not be granted for land raising using either inert or non-inert waste unless there is a demonstrable gain in benefits sufficient to outweigh harm arising from the proposal.

3.9.1 The need to husband void space has been explained in Policy 11, and this policy expands on that theme. Landfill will continue to be required to accommodate residual waste that has been subject to recovery processes such as energy from waste, recycling and re-use.

3.9.2 A published consultant report for the Regional Assembly (Waste Management Capacity in the South East Region, MEL and Golder Associates, June 2004) provides useful information on landfill capacity in the county, based at 2004. The report indicates a total overall remaining capacity in Buckinghamshire's landfills of some 23,763,000 cubic metres. It then shows how the landfill capacity actually available in each year may be expected to reduce through the Plan period. The consultants suggest that Buckinghamshire has some 2,003,000 tonnes of available landfill capacity (1,466,000 tonnes non-inert and 537,000 tonnes inert) at 2004. As such, landfill currently comprises some 80% of the county's total annual waste management capacity.

3.9.3 The consultants further estimate that by 2016 (and assuming no new additional landfills are created) that the available landfill capacity will have reduced to some 727,000 tonnes (627,000 tonnes non-inert and 100,000 tonnes inert). The report further suggests that landfill capacity in the county will continue to fall beyond 2016 (to some 646,000 tonnes at 2020, and 627,000 tonnes at 2024, respectively). At the same time, the consultants' calculations suggest that, even assuming that all diversion and recovery targets are met during the Plan period, the estimated available landfill capacity will be insufficient at 2016 (their projected landfill requirement for Buckinghamshire at 2015 is for some 884,000 tonnes). The available capacity at 2016 is therefore likely to be insufficient to meet, in full, the county's own residual landfilling needs for municipal , commercial and C&D wastes, together with demand for residual landfilling by London and more local cross-boundary movements. This supports the Council's long-standing aim of husbanding existing engineered landfill capacity in Buckinghamshire.

3.9.4 At the same time, national policy requires authorities to increasingly limit the amount of biodegradable material that they send to landfill (in line with the EU Landfill Directive). From April 2005 authorities have been set an allowance, declining each year, for the amount of such waste that they can landfill. The allowances can be traded between waste disposal authorities, but the total amount of allowances handed out to councils decreases each year in line with the demands of the Landfill Directive. Provisional allocations have been notified by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. If confirmed, these would have the effect of reducing Buckinghamshire's landfilling of its own biodegradable municipal waste from some 137,100 tonnes in 2001/02 to just 59,500 tonnes at 2015/16 (a 57% reduction). These allowances confirm the increasing need to divert biodegradable municipal waste arising within the county over the Plan period from landfill into composting and other ways of recovering/managing these wastes.

35 3.9.5 If the increases in recovery proposed are achieved and waste is diverted from landfill there will therefore be sufficient landfill capacity to meet Buckinghamshire’s own needs and for a declining amount of waste exported from London through the Plan period. Nevertheless, significant engineered non-inert landfill capacity is a scarce and reducing resource at the regional level and it will be prudent to manage and husband this resource within the county.

Policy Performance Targets

• To husband the county’s void space for the disposal of residual treated non-inert waste through a continuing reduction in the amount of all wastes landfilled in the county.

• To achieve the equivalent of the Landfill Directive diversion of biodegradable, municipal waste (BMW) waste from landfill at 2009/10, 2012/13, and 2019/20 (reductions to 75%, 50%, and 35% respectively from the amount of BMW landfilled at 1995).

Implementation

The County Council will:

• actively seek to reduce waste arising within Buckinghamshire;

• work with the waste management industry to make provision for the increasing recycling and composting of waste within the county, and thereby divert waste from landfill;

• take action, complementary to that of Authorities in the waste exporting areas, to reduce the import of waste for landfill into Buckinghamshire.

3.10 Calvert Landfill Site

Policy 19

Proposals to ensure that any long term environmental impacts at Calvert Landfill Site are satisfactorily controlled, and to ensure the long term restoration of the site, will be supported in principle so long as they satisfactorily address the following issues:

1. visual impact;

2. the impact on local amenity, as set out in Policy 28;

3. traffic impact;

4. impact on water resources;

5. the degree to which the proposal would achieve the reduction and eventual elimination of landfill with untreated waste, consistent with Policy 11.

36 3.10.1 The restoration scheme for the Calvert Pit and landfill site was approved in 1977 and is based on the gradients considered appropriate at that time. It is now recognised that steeper gradients may be necessary to provide adequate drainage of landfills accepting high proportions of biodegradable wastes (See MPG 7 – Reclamation of Mineral Workings). Good drainage is necessary to ensure satisfactory restoration and to safeguard the integrity of the landfill engineering design and environmental control measures.

3.10.2 In considering any proposals the determining authority will have regard to the possible impacts regarding landscape, local amenities, traffic (road and rail), access, the water environment, and the reduction and eventual elimination of untreated waste. Due to the overall scale of the site an Environmental Impact Statement will be required to accompany any comprehensive planning applications.

3.11 Landfill Gas Collection and Energy Recovery

Policy 20

The County Council will encourage landfill gas collection and energy recovery at all non-inert landfill sites.

Permission will not be granted for major new non-inert landfill proposals, where the generation of significant quantities of landfill gas may be expected, unless measures to extract and utilise the gas form part of the proposals.

3.11.1 Non-inert waste sites produce vast quantities of methane gas. The collection of the gas can be used to produce energy such as electricity, and therefore can form part of a sustainable approach to waste disposal.

3.11.2 Even after the E.U. Landfill Directive takes effect and causes an increasing amount of biodegradable waste to be diverted from landfill, some biodegradable waste will continue to be disposed of and degrade to release methane-rich landfill gas, and biodegradable waste already in landfills will continue to release methane. This powerful greenhouse gas should be captured and burned on release to generate power and/or heat through proven and economically feasible technology.

Policy Performance Targets

• By 2016, for most operational non-inert landfill sites in the county to incorporate landfill gas collection and energy recovery systems.

• To not consent major new non-inert landfill proposals, where the generation of significant quantities of landfill gas may be expected, unless measures to extract and utilise the gas form part of the proposals.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• support applications for the collection of landfill gas and energy recovery at existing non-inert landfill sites;

• require major new non-inert landfill applications to demonstrate that they will incorporate landfill gas collection and energy recovery systems.

37 3.12 Hazardous Wastes

Policy 21

The County Council will support proposals that enable a greater use to be made of sites within Buckinghamshire capable of accepting hazardous wastes, so long as these are consistent with other policies in this Plan.

The County Council will work with adjacent waste planning authorities, waste disposal authorities, the Environment Agency and industry to identify any sub regional need for new hazardous waste management capacity. Wherever practicable it will encourage the provision of necessary infrastructure (including landfill and alternative management technologies) to achieve, at the sub-regional level, a diversity of management options for hazardous wastes.

3.12.1 Only certain sites in the county have historically accepted hazardous wastes (formerly known as "special wastes") either because they have suitable facilities to handle the waste or the geology is suitable (for example, a clay pit).

3.12.2 The hazardous wastes include some C&D wastes (notably asbestos), oil/water mixes, some chemical wastes, residues of sewage treatment and other wastes (such as paints and varnishes, waste from photographic processes, metal industries, solvents, packaging/cleaning and filter materials). In 2001, some 88,500 tonnes of hazardous wastes were managed in Buckinghamshire: of this some 86,000 tonnes were landfilled, 2,150 tonnes treated, 98,000 tonnes transferred, and 74,000 tonnes re-used (source: SERTAB, using Environment Agency Hazardous Waste Interrogator data).

3.12.3 The management of hazardous wastes will change significantly over the next few years, primarily in response to European directives to divert such wastes away from landfill and new (wider) definitions of hazardous wastes. From July 2004 the Landfill Directive prohibited the practice of co- disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes in landfill. Instead, hazardous wastes destined for landfill has to go to either a landfill dedicated for hazardous wastes, or if the waste is stable and non- reactive, to a separate cell in a non-hazardous landfill.

3.12.4 Stable and non-reactive wastes include, for example, most asbestos, and solidified or vitrified waste. In addition from July 2004 hazardous wastes are subject to treatment before landfill unless this is of no practical benefit towards meeting the aims of the Directive. Treatment comprises measures to reduce the volume or hazardous nature of the waste, ease its handling or aid recovery. From July 2005, the Directive imposed more stringent requirements on hazardous wastes sent to landfill, by applying Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) which will set landfill leachate limits, and require additional treatment to hazardous wastes prior to landfill.

3.12.5 These changes will encourage more sustainable management of hazardous wastes. Landfill is the least preferred management route in the waste hierarchy. As well as environmental impacts, it represents a lost opportunity to recover value from these wastes.

3.12.6 There has been a fall in the number of landfill sites managing hazardous wastes since July 2004. Although the longer-term implications are uncertain, the demand for more treatment capacity to deal with these wastes will require a time (and cost) ‘’step’’ whilst such alternatives are developed. Equally, a wider range of materials will be defined as ‘’ hazardous’’ in the future under emerging regulations. Therefore new treatment capacity in specialist facilities will be required at differing spatial levels (i.e. local, sub-regional, regional) depending upon the cost of the facility and the appropriate catchment for a given hazardous waste stream. The objective will be to minimise the movement of hazardous wastes commensurate with their safe treatment/management.

38 3.12.7 From July 2004, there has been no merchant hazardous waste landfill in the county. The operator of Calvert has indicated an intention to construct a cell for stable non-reactive hazardous waste and this landfill permit application is being considered by the Environment Agency.

Policy Performance Targets

• A declining amount of hazardous wastes landfilled in the county to 2016.

• By 2016, to have made provision for those specific non-landfill hazardous waste management options that accord (see Policy 35) and can practicably be located within Buckinghamshire.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• work with the waste management industry to provide (by 2016) facilities to manage within Buckinghamshire those special/hazardous wastes which can be locally treated/processed;

• where special/hazardous wastes must be exported from the county for specialist treatment/processing, encourage the waste management industry to use the most proximate appropriate facility to Buckinghamshire;

• contribute to the work of the Regional Assembly’s Hazardous Waste Task Group to formulate recommendations and an action programme to achieve, at the regional level, a diversity of management options for hazardous wastes.

3.13 Inert Wastes & Inert Waste Recycling

Policy 22

The County Council will support proposals for permanent or temporary facilities for the recycling of inert wastes into secondary aggregates and other recycled materials that accord with the requirements of Policies 6 and 10.

The County Council will not normally grant permission for landfill or other disposal to land of inert wastes except where proposals contribute to the restoration of old mineral workings, the timely restoration of a smaller mineral site, or other demonstrable environmental gain.

3.13.1 Nearly all of the inert waste recycling facilities in Buckinghamshire are situated at landfill sites and, thus, have temporary consents linked to the operational life of the site. The logic of national and regional waste (and minerals conservation) policy is that, notwithstanding the already high recycling rate for inert waste, more needs to be done to ensure the optimum use of these materials and that, normally, they should not be landfilled. Section 2.6 of this Plan sets out the County Council’s aspirations for the production of alternative aggregate materials (particularly from construction and demolition wastes), consistent with national and regional guidance. There will, therefore, be a growing need for the provision of permanent inert waste recycling facilities (best located in appropriate industrial locations which accord with the “proximity principle”).

39 Policy Performance Targets:

• Through the plan period, to 2016, to meet the increased recycling targets for construction and demolition waste set out under Policy 10 (i.e. 45% at 2005, 55% at 2010 and 60% at 2015).

• By 2016, to secure increased provision of permanent recycling facilities for inert waste that are proximate to the origins of such waste (usually the larger towns).

Implementation:

The County Council will:

• work with the waste management industry to plan for the increased provision of permanent recycling facilities for inert waste to produce secondary aggregates and construction materials that are proximate to the origins of such waste (usually the larger towns).

3.14 Sewage Treatment Works & Management of Sewage Sludge

Policy 23 a) The County Council will support the development and extension of existing sites for sewage treatment providing the proposal complies with other relevant policies in this plan. b) Proposals for new sewage treatment sites will be supported where it can be shown that:

i) the development cannot be accommodated on an existing site; and,

ii) the proposal is necessary to support major new development or to secure a required improvement in effluent standards; and

iii) the proposal complies with other relevant policies in this Plan. c) Provision for processing of sludge to produce beneficial end-products will be sought where appropriate, including the co-treatment of sludge with other wastes.

3.14.1 Sewage treatment works (STW) are constrained in terms of location by the need to be relatively close both to the populations that they serve and to watercourses for the discharge of treated waters. Normally, therefore, these considerations suggest that existing works should be improved and developed to provide additional or improved treatment capability should this become necessary. Proposals for new works will only be granted permission where it can be demonstrated that the need for development cannot be accommodated at an existing site. However where this is not possible, policy 23 sets out a framework for the provision of new STW capacity. This is a particularly relevant consideration in view of the emerging concern, following the Milton Keynes and South Midlands Sub- Regional Strategy proposals for future growth at Aylesbury, that the town is likely to require a new STW if growth is to be realised (within a context of rising effluent standards).

3.14.2 Currently a majority of the resulting sludge is disposed of by land spreading on agricultural land (as controlled by regulations). There is potential environmental advantage in using STW facilities for combined management of sludge with other biodegradable wastes; particularly for co-digestion, anaerobic digestion processes and combined composting operations. The Council will encourage such development, and will expect proposals for new sites to investigate the potential for co-treatment with other biodegradable wastes. 40

Policy Performance Targets

• Any new STW facility to conform with Policy 23 • Meeting prevailing effluent standards over the plan period

Implementation

The County Council will:

• As Waste Planning Authority, work with the Environment Agency (as regulator) and the Water Companies when considering STW proposals to achieve the above targets.

41 Chapter 4 General Environmental Policies

4.1 Protection of Key Environmental Assets

Policy 24

Permission will not be given for mineral or waste development where such proposals would be likely to endanger or have a significant adverse effect on the character, appearance, intrinsic environmental value and/or setting of the following:- a) Sites of Special Scientific Interest, RAMSAR1, SAC2, SPA3 and any other nationally or internationally important nature conservation sites; b) Scheduled Ancient Monuments and other nationally important archaeological sites; c) Registered Historic Parks and Gardens; d) Listed Buildings; and e) The Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) except:

i) where it would be in the national interest and no alternative sites or sources are available; or

ii) for small-scale applications to extract brickclay that will be used at the existing small local brickworks of the Chiltern Hills; or

iii) for a waste transfer station to serve the needs of Wycombe District located at the existing waste management complex at High Heavens, if no alternative site can be found outside the AONB.

4.1.1 All the above protected sites are unique in their own way, and are protected by European and national laws. Any type of development within or adjacent to such locations can result in an adverse effect on the site, whether it be landscape, buildings or a combination of both.

4.1.2 Therefore, any mineral or waste proposal within or close to such areas will be subject to rigorous examination before a decision is made.

1 Wetlands of International Importance 2 Special Area of Conservation 3 Special Protection Area

42 Policy Performance Target

• No mineral or waste development in (or adversely affecting) the sites or features specified within the above policy, other than in the special circumstances provided for in sub-para e).

Implementation

The County Council will:

• rigorously examine applications for the extraction of brickclay in the Chilterns and the development of a waste transfer station at High Heavens so as to mitigate any possible harmful effects on the AONB;

• require applicants to fully assess the impacts of the proposed development on any site and features protected by the above policy in accordance with the Environmental Impact Regulations.

4.2 Protection of Other Environmentally Important Sites and Features

Policy 25

Planning consent will not normally be given for mineral or waste development applications which would endanger or have a significant adverse effect on the character, appearance intrinsic environmental value and/or setting of the following unless it can be shown that the development is necessary to meet an essential need which cannot be satisfactorily met by any other means: a) designated Areas of Attractive Landscape; b) local nature reserves and areas of nature conservation importance which are not otherwise protected by sub-para a) of Policy 24; c) ancient semi-natural woodlands, as defined by English Nature; d) the Colne Valley Park (see also Policy 32); e) country parks, common land and village greens, and areas designated as such in local plans/development frameworks; f) airfields in current use; and g) National Trust Inalienably Declared land which is not otherwise protected by Policy 24 or sub-paras a) - e) above. h) Conservation Areas

4.2.1 The County Council will generally resist planning applications in those locations listed in the policy, but at the same time recognises the pressure for some limited development.

4.2.2 In this respect the quality of the landscape, wildlife, buildings and other factors such as securing adequate mitigation will be balanced against the need proposed when determining planning applications for mineral or waste development.

43 Policy Performance Targets

• To avoid damage to those important sites and features listed in Policy 25.

• To record the important historic and biodiversity assets of such sites before any necessary development takes place.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• protect the environment of sites and features referred to in Policy 25 when development is permitted by using planning conditions or obligations as necessary.

4.3 Protection of Agricultural Land

Policy 26

When considering proposals for minerals and waste development, the County Council will have regard to the agricultural quality of the land and the need for its release to facilitate necessary development in addition to the need to protect the countryside for its contribution to sustainability, biodiversity, landscape and amenity value. Development which would result in the permanent loss of “Best and Most Versatile Land” ("BMV land"), defined as Grades 1, 2, 3a of the Agricultural Land Classification, will normally be refused unless it can be demonstrated that no known suitable alternative site of lesser agricultural value is available, or sustainability considerations justify development on BMV land.

4.3.1 Although national policy has been relaxed regarding development on the best agricultural land (Grades 1, 2 and 3a), Government still expects the land to be restored to a high standard. Where possible, development should be directed towards lesser quality agricultural land but sustainability considerations may justify development on BMV land.

Policy Performance Target

• To protect the stock of the Best and Most Versatile agricultural land within Buckinghamshire.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• direct mineral operations to the lowest agricultural land classification whenever possible;

• require detailed restoration plans from applicants showing how the land will be returned to a high standard.

44 4.4 Protection of The Green Belt

Policy 27

The County Council will: a) normally grant permission for the extraction of minerals within the Green Belt, subject to such proposals complying with the other policies of this Plan; b) only grant permission for waste development within the Green Belt where the proposed development would not conflict with the purposes of designation, including the preservation of openness or it would be consistent with the proximity principle, and there are no available alternative sites outside the Green Belt.

4.4.1 Generally, mineral development is considered appropriate development in the Green Belt by nature of its ‘temporary’ use of the land. This use can extend for many years and it is the responsibility of the mineral planning authority to ensure that this temporary use is completed as soon as is practicable. This includes the restoration of the land to an approved standard.

4.4.2 Although the disposal of waste can play a part in the restoration of mineral workings, and may therefore be acceptable in the Green Belt, the development of permanent waste facilities is not supported in existing Government guidance. Such facilities usually include various sizes and types of building which are considered inappropriate development in the Green Belt, and would normally be refused unless there is an overriding need. However the plan does not preclude waste management facilities in the Green Belt - although it is, as it must be, consistent with existing Government Green Belt guidance as set out in PPG2. In practice, waste management proposals will either not significantly affect "openness" (for example, windrow composting); or if they are of a nature/scale that constitute "inappropriate development", will have to demonstrate "very special circumstances". With regard to the latter, if, for example, a given facility was fundamental to achieving environmentally based recycling, recovery or diversion targets, such "very special circumstances" might well exist.

Policy Performance Target

• To protect the Green Belt from all forms of permanent non-conforming development unless an overriding need exists which cannot be met on land outside the Green Belt.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• favourably consider appropriate development in the Green Belt as described in Planning Policy Guidance Note 2 “Green Belts” where such proposals do not conflict with the aims of Policy 27.

45 4.5 Amenity

Policy 28

The County Council will protect the amenity of all those who may be affected by mineral and waste development proposals and will not grant planning permission for proposals which are likely to generate significant adverse levels of disturbance, both near the site and on routes to and from it, from noise, vibration, dust, fumes, gases, odour, illumination, litter, birds or pests.

4.5.1 The Council understands the public concern that exists in connection with mineral working and waste management and recognises the importance of minimising disturbance caused by extraction/restoration and management operations. The protection of people's amenities will therefore be an important consideration in making development control decisions. The purpose of this policy will be to protect wider residential amenity and that of others who may be affected by mineral and/or waste management development such as local businesses, schools, hospitals etc. Policy 29, which follows, sets out a requirement for buffer zones - one purpose of which is to protect amenity immediately adjacent to a proposed minerals or waste site.

4.5.2 Policy 28 will also afford protection from the cumulative impacts of mineral working or waste development. Such impacts can be of two types - either those resulting from the existence of several mineral or waste workings (past or present) in an area at the same time; or those resulting at one larger site from a number of separate operations.

4.5.3 The assessment of what may constitute "significant adverse levels of disturbance" will relate to the nature of specific proposals and will therefore be made when a consent is sought (there are a number of key factors which can only be considered at the application stage). However, some of the relevant amenity considerations can be seen in the Supplementary Guidance Notes (SPG) 2 and 3, which accompany this Plan. This SPG gives guidance to applicants for mineral and/or waste management development, and a code of practice for the restoration and aftercare of mineral workings respectively. The Council will expect applicants to conform to the requirements set out in SPG when making applications.

4.5.4 If an application is consistent with the policies contained in this Plan (and - if a waste proposal - receives a waste management licence from the Environment Agency) and is permitted, it will be subject to planning conditions which will be designed to carefully control both the development and consequent operations in the interests of local amenity. For example, planning conditions may be applied in respect of:

- Key dimensions of the proposal - Hours of working/operation - Lorry movements - Screening from view and noise - Noise controls - Amount of land being worked at any one time - Compliance with submitted plans

Policy Performance Target

• to achieve a continuing reduction in the number of residents and others experiencing significant adverse levels of disturbance from mineral and waste developments.

• to improve the overall amenity of residents and others presently affected by mineral and waste operations.

46 Implementation

The County Council will:

• operate Policy 28 when considering all applications for mineral and waste development;

• participate fully in local site Liaison Committees to ensure that amenity considerations are prominent.

4.6 Buffer Zones

Policy 29

Mineral extraction, waste management or ancillary proposals will not be permitted unless they can demonstrate that an adequate buffer zone exists, or would be provided, between the proposed development and neighbouring existing or proposed sensitive uses.

The County Council will resist approval for new non-mineral or waste uses, activities or development within the buffer zone that could: a) be adversely affected by mineral or waste management operations; and/or, b) prejudice the ability of the mineral or waste operator to work the permission; c) have a negative impact on environmental assets and features of landscape value.

4.6.1 The County Council believes that certain sensitive areas such as residential areas, schools, hospitals, housed livestock etc should be protected from the adverse effects of mineral and waste development. The table and text in Note 7 of the Supplementary Planning Guidance sets out indicative buffer distances as broad guidance for the protection of those uses described above.

Policy Performance Target

• To protect neighbouring or sensitive uses from the effects of mineral or waste development.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• implement appropriate buffer zones when determining minerals and waste planning applications;

• work with the District Councils to identify prospective developments which may prejudice mineral working or waste uses.

47 4.7 Proximity Principle and Sustainable Transport

Policy 30

All proposals for minerals or waste management development will be expected to demonstrate that due regard has been paid to the need to minimise any adverse transport impacts.

In addition, all proposals for waste management development will be required to show consideration of proximity to the area and waste streams that they are intended to serve. Proposals that do not comply with the proximity principle will not normally be permitted.

Wherever practicable, the County Council will seek the use of rail, waterways, conveyors or pipelines in preference to the use of roads for the transport of bulk materials. Proposals must therefore demonstrate that alternative means of transport to roads have been considered, and will be used where practicable.

Where a proposal can only be served by road, the County Council will only grant planning permission for minerals and waste development where the material is capable of being transported to and from sites by the Strategic Highway Network (SHN) as defined in the adopted County Structure Plan and Local Transport Plan. The suitability and capacity of available access roads will be taken into account and proposals which use significant lengths of unsuitable other roads to gain access to the SHN will not normally be permitted unless suitable improvements can be agreed and secured with the developer.

4.7.1 The location of mineral sites is determined by where the material is found, and those sites with good connections to the transport system will be preferable in the majority of cases. Close proximity to the Strategic Highway Network will ensure that heavy vehicles will have less impact on local roads and residential areas than the more remote sites. Ideally the use of rail, canal, conveyors or pipelines is more environmentally acceptable, and will be encouraged whenever possible.

4.7.2 Waste facilities need to be located as close to the source of waste arisings as is possible. This helps to reduce the distance traveled by waste collection vehicles, which can have beneficial results from less traffic movements particularly in large urban areas. It is essential that waste facilities have good transport communications whether it be to transfer waste onward to other treatment facilities or remove residual waste to landfill sites.

Policy Performance Targets

• To secure an increase in the amount of minerals and waste transported by rail, canals, conveyors and pipelines.

• To ensure that where transport by the above means is not possible, minerals and waste are conveyed on roads forming part of the Strategic Highway Network.

Implementation

The County Council will:

48 • work with applicants to achieve the best sustainable approach for the transportation of minerals and waste;

• engage with waste authorities and operators so as to provide waste facilities as close to the source of waste arisings as is possible;

• encourage waste facilities to be located as close to waste arisings as is possible.

4.8 Restoration and Aftercare

Policy 31

A scheme of aftercare, normally for a period of five years following restoration, will be required for minerals and waste management sites which are to be restored for, agriculture, forestry, or amenity use (any of which could include nature conservation).

Restoration and after-use schemes shall be submitted with development proposals, which demonstrate that the site will be restored to an appropriate use such as agricultural or woodland within a reasonable timescale. The determining authority will support the restoration of sites to other beneficial uses when the proposals accord with the policies of the development plan. Where located within 13kms of Heathrow Airport or 12.87km (8 miles) of RAF Benson, Chalgrove Airfield and RAF Northolt, details of the restoration proposals shall be submitted to the relevant aerodrome operator to assess the bird strike hazard.

4.8.1 Standards of restoration at mineral extraction and waste disposal sites have improved in the past decade. The County Council will continue to work with the industry to ensure continued improvement and a consistency of high-quality restoration.

4.8.2 Restoration proposals for each site will be considered when planning applications are submitted. The County Council will require full working and restoration plans to accompany proposals. The submitted schemes should include the plans and reports set out in Supplementary Guidance Note 2 “Guidance Notes for Applicants” and the Code of Practice for Restoration and Aftercare in Supplementary Planning Guidance Note 3.

4.8.3 Where sites include the “best and most versatile” agricultural land, the proposed development and restoration will be considered against Policy 26.

4.8.4 Mineral workings which are restored by landfill, but particularly those proposed for water uses or a wetland habitat, may attract large numbers of birds. These may be a hazard to aircraft at sites close to aerodromes. As part of the aerodrome safeguarding procedure (ODPM Circular 01/2003) the Council will consult aerodrome operators where the application site is located within a statutory bird strike safeguarding zone (see also Policy 34) or in the case of other aerodromes where operators have produced a non-official safeguarding map.

Policy Performance Target

• To ensure that mineral and waste disposal sites are restored to an appropriate use and satisfactory standard within a reasonable timescale.

49 Implementation

The County Council will:

• work with the industry to continue the improvement in the restoration, and will encourage self- regulation of restoration and aftercare standards.

4.9 Restoration of Old Sites

Policy 32

The County Council will: a) encourage restoration and after use proposals which will bring about the environmental improvement of former workings for the extraction of construction minerals located within such areas as the Colne Valley Park; b) expect proposals in the Colne Valley Park, including schemes for restoration and after-use, to support the long-term aims and objectives of the Colne Valley Park Regional Park Strategy (or successor document); c) favourably consider development proposals to secure the improvement of restoration at old mineral extraction or waste disposal sites.

4.9.1 Old minerals and waste sites may have been poorly restored when compared to modern standards of restoration. The County Council will continue to work with the landowners and operators of these sites to secure improvements to the quality of restoration.

4.9.2 The County Council has undertaken a “Review of Mineral Planning Permissions” (ROMPs) on all sites where this is required by the Environment Act 1995 and as set out in MPG14. The review has resulted in the registration of 12 sites. There are 10 “active” sites and 2 sites within the county which are categorised as ‘’dormant’’. During the plan period, a number of sites will be subject to ROMP review as their planning consents approach 15 years since the consent was granted.

4.9.3 The ROMP procedure provides for the conditions, which include the method of working, restoration and aftercare of these sites to be reviewed. Restoration schemes submitted as part of the ROMP procedure will be considered against the policies in this Plan.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• continue to promote the satisfactory restoration of old mineral sites whenever possible.

50 4.10 Groundwater and Floodplain Protection

Policy 33

Planning permission for minerals and waste development will only be granted where such proposals would not, having taken into account any mitigation measures, have an unacceptably detrimental impact upon: a) the quality or quantity of groundwater or surface water drainage, and the flow or level of groundwater on or in the vicinity of the site; b) habitats and features of nature conservation importance which could be affected by hydrological disturbance.

In the floodplain proposals should not result in the raising of existing ground levels nor adversely affect groundwater levels or water quality, impede flood flows, reduce the capacity of flood storage or existing flood defence structures.

The developer and/or landowner will be expected to undertake any hydrological surveys necessary to establish the implications of a proposal.

4.10.1 Potential flooding of property and infrastructure must be taken into consideration, together with the effects of groundwater movement both during and after mineral extraction. The impacts of ancillary structures, including mineral stockpiles, should therefore be taken into account. Depending on local circumstances it may be necessary to undertake a comprehensive groundwater management scheme as advised by the Environment Agency.

4.10.2 Preventive measures will be carried out in order to dispose of mineral wastes and prevent the spillage of fuel and lubricating oils into water courses. There must be complete segregation of working areas from local water courses.

Policy Performance Target

• To ensure that, in conjunction with the Environment Agency, all minerals and waste developments within Buckinghamshire do not have a detrimental impact upon the quality and quantity of groundwater, floodwater, or related natural habitats.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• liase with the Environment Agency, and if required the Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs), in order to ensure that any proposed development will not cause flooding or lowering of the water table, pollution of surface and ground water does not occur, and natural habitats are not affected in any manner. Assessment of the risk will be carried out through the sequential test outlined in PPG 25.

51 4.11 Aviation Safeguarding Areas

Policy 34

In accordance with the aerodrome safeguarding procedures set out in ODPM Circular 01/2003, the determining authority will consult the relevant aviation and airport consultees in respect of any minerals and/or waste development (including restoration and after-use) which falls within an aerodrome safeguarding zone (as outlined for civil aerodromes by the safeguarding maps defined in Annex 14 to the Chicago Convention and the Civil Aviation Authority’s licensing guidance document CAP 168, and for military aerodromes by the statutory safeguarding plans published by the Secretary of State for Defence). This is to ensure that buildings, structures, erections or works do not inhibit the operation, development, safety and performance of the aerodrome or lead to an unacceptable increase in risk to aircraft due to bird strike or any other matters.

4.11.1 The main aim of this policy is to prevent an increase in the risk of bird strike, or any other form of hazard to aviation, arising from waste or mineral development and any ensuing restoration or mitigation measures. The Council will undertake early consultation with the relevant aerodrome operators in respect of any proposals which might cause or lead to such problems

Policy Performance Target

• To ensure that, in conjunction with relevant authorities, minerals and waste development falling within the aerodrome safeguarding areas will not inhibit the operation, development, safety and performance of the aerodrome or lead to an unacceptable increase in risk to aircraft due to bird strike.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• ensure that any new minerals and waste development falling within aerodrome safeguarding areas, such as waste deposit sites and mineral extraction sites that are used for landfill or wetlands, guards against an increase in the number of birds and related hazards.

52 Chapter 5 Development Control

5.1 Best Practicable Environmental Option

Policy 35

Planning applications for waste developments including mineral proposals that involve waste will be required to demonstrate that the proposal represents the Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO)1 for that waste stream. Planning permission will only be granted when the need for the proposed development and the benefits which it would generate, outweigh any environmental, economic or community harm, that the development and its operation may cause. The County Council when assessing whether the planning application demonstrates that the proposal is the best option will consider: a) the social, economic and environmental costs and benefits of the development at the local, regional and national levels; and, b) if the need can be reasonably met by an alternative development or option which is more sustainable.

5.1.1 The County Council supports the sustainable development principles for waste development advocated in national policy. When considering planning applications a balance has to be found between the aim of conserving resources for future generations and meeting the needs of society for the management of waste in order to support economic prosperity.

5.1.2 In considering waste applications (including mineral proposals that involve waste), the County Council will have regard to how the proposals comply with the proximity principle (Policy 30) and the waste hierarchy (Policy 10). The applicant will need to address in the information submitted with the application how the proposal satisfies the objectives of these principles as well as assessing the detailed environmental impacts of the development. Where applications are not required to have a formal Environmental Assessment submitted with them (Policy 37), applicants should consider that presenting supporting information in a comprehensive environmental impact format will assist the County Council in determining the application.

5.1.3 The County Council, as part of the Bucks Waste Forum, produced the Waste Strategy for Buckinghamshire (WSB) in 2001. The WSB reflects the shift in European and National waste policy away from a reliance upon disposing waste at landfill sites towards a more sustainable approach involving the minimisation of the production of waste and recovering resources from waste. This change in the national approach to waste management has been endorsed by the Government’s Strategy Unit in the December 2002 report, Waste not, Want not – A strategy for tackling the waste problem in England.

1 The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (12th report) defined BPEO as: “for a given set of objectives, the option that provides the most benefits or the least damage to the environment as a whole, at acceptable costs in the long term as well as in the short term.”

53

5.1.4 Waste management technology is rapidly evolving and it is not therefore possible to say that one currently feasible approach will continue to represent best practice over the duration of the plan period. The County Council, as waste planning authority, will instead use guiding principles such as the waste hierarchy, to forward the objectives of sustainable waste management, as and when proposals are brought forward for consideration as planning applications.

Policy Performance Target

• To increase the scope and quality of supporting information provided with planning applications, and therefore increase the quality of decision-making.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• advise applicants on the range and quality of information required to be submitted with an application in order for the County Council and consultees to consider if the proposal is consistent with the requirements of Policy 35.

5.2 Planning Application Issues

Policy 36

Planning applications will be required to demonstrate that the proposed working, restoration and aftercare schemes protect or safeguard the development constraints listed in the General Environmental Policies in this Plan. When drawing up proposals applicants should consider the ‘Guidance Notes’ checklist in Supplementary Planning Guidance Note 2 and the Code of Practice for Restoration and Aftercare in Supplementary Planning Guidance Note 3. The County Council will request amendments to applications and impose conditions, where appropriate, when these are necessary to safeguard local amenities and the wider environment.

5.2.1 The development control system works most effectively when applicants and the County Council are equally aware of the constraints placed upon a proposed development by a site’s local amenities and the designation of areas that have wider environmental protection. By working with applicants the County Council “adds value” to the proposal in order that the sustainability of minerals and waste developments is maximised.

5.2.2 Pre- application discussions are a key element of an effective and efficient development control system and can assist applicants to bring forward proposals which are more in accordance with policy.

5.2.3 Applications which are not adequately supported by appropriate plans and reports are likely to take longer to determine because further information will be requested by the County Council. The Council will request amendments to applications when consideration of the impact of the development has indicated that a revised scheme of working or an improved restoration plan will better protect amenity or environmental interests.

54 5.2.4 The cumulative impact of proposals will be a primary consideration in determining minerals and waste planning applications for development in an area already subject to existing extraction, restoration or waste management operations.

5.2.5 The County Council will impose conditions on all minerals and waste planning permissions to control the timing and method of working and the site’s restoration and aftercare. The Council will consult with relevant partner organizations, such as the Environment Agency, in determining necessary planning conditions. Appropriate conditions may protect identified features and environmental constraints and be imposed on developments to achieve the objectives of national, regional, county-wide community or local plan policies.

Policy Performance Targets

• To improve the quality of information submitted with applications and thereby increase the speed of decision making.

• To increase the percentage of applications which are determined within 13 weeks (BVPI 109) so that the Council is within the top quartile of County Councils for speed of determining applications.

• To keep at zero the number of appeals against non-determination of applications or against planning conditions imposed by the County Council.

• To minimise the number of appeals against the refusal of planning permission.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• inform prospective applicants of the Plan policies so that the applicant can form a view on the likelihood of a proposal receiving planning permission;

• provide applicants with Guidance Notes to assist in the preparation of applications;

• consult the District and Parish Councils and other organisations such as the Environment Agency to inform the decision-making process;

• listen to representations made by people who object to, or support, development proposals;

• impose conditions on planning permissions to secure the appropriate working and operation of consented sites, and to ensure that the sites are restored promptly.

55 5.3 Environmental Assessment

Policy 37

An Environmental Assessment (EA) may be required to be submitted with major planning applications which propose development in environmentally sensitive locations such as the Chilterns AONB. An EA statement may also be required if the proposed development is of a nature or size as prescribed in the Environmental Impact Regulations 1999 and Circular 2/99.

Applicants may appeal to the Secretary of State for a direction on whether an EA is required.

5.3.1 Applicants who consider that their proposals are likely to require an EA should contact the County Council at an early stage in order to seek guidance on the need for, and scope of, the EA. The Council will screen submitted development proposals and advise applicants of the requirement to submit an EA with identified applications. The scope of an EA report will be determined by the County Council in order for all the impacts of the development to be considered in sufficient detail.

5.3.2 Due to the increasing technical complexity and scale of minerals and waste proposals, the Council will require applicants to fully investigate environmental implications. The County Council and its partner organisations will require such information to be presented in a comprehensive and readily understandable document. The EA statement submitted with planning applications should set out the general sustainable development principles behind the proposal as well as the development’s environmental and amenity impacts.

5.3.3 An EA statement is the most appropriate method of demonstrating that other development locations and options have been considered and that the findings are that the proposed development is consistent with the requirements of this Plan. Where an EA statement shows that environmental or amenity interests will be harmed, proposals are identified to minimise the effects and allow compensatory mitigation methods to be put into place.

5.3.4 Where a proposed development requires an EA, and there are existing adjoining minerals and waste developments, the cumulative impact of the developments will need to be considered in the EA statement.

Policy Performance Targets • Screening opinions provided within 3 weeks and scoping opinions within 5 weeks, unless otherwise agreed by the applicant.

• To minimise the number of requests to the Secretary of State for a screening direction following the County Council’s decision that an Environmental Assessment is required.

• To increase the percentage of Environmental Assessment applications which are determined within 16 weeks.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• provide a statement of how environmental assessment information has been used to determine an application and advertise that this statement is available for inspection;

56 • work with consultees, people making representations and applicants to address any environmental disbenefits of a development proposal, and encourage applicants to alter proposals to remove, mitigate such impacts or alternatively provide replacement measures.

5.4 Planning Obligations

Policy 38

Planning obligations may be sought from applicants, in appropriate circumstances, prior to the determination of a planning application, when planning conditions cannot secure the proper planning control of the site, or its impact upon the local area. A planning obligation or legal agreement may include the provision of financial guarantees so that the County Council can undertake restoration works at no public cost in the event that the site is not properly restored. If a planning obligation with a related performance and restoration bond is not completed then this may be ground for refusing planning permission. Planning obligations will not be sought to cover matters dealt with by the Environment Agency under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

5.4.1 Planning obligations under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 can often play an important role in supplementing planning conditions. Off site impacts of a proposal, such as lorry movements on unrestricted roads, can be controlled by routing agreements under a Section 106 agreement. Additional works normally outside the scope of a planning permission, for example, long term monitoring and control of landfill gas or leachate systems can similarly be secured by planning obligations.

5.4.2 The planning application must demonstrate that the working and afteruse of the site is sustainable and achievable. The long term nature of mineral and waste development, restoration and aftercare can give rise to concern amongst the public that the land will not be properly restored once extraction or waste management operations have ceased. Operators can address these concerns by providing a restoration bond as a guarantee that sites will be restored in accordance with the planning permission. Bonds are more likely to be sought from applicants where there is not a progressive restoration scheme or the restoration and aftercare methods are unproven or have been shown at other sites to be operationally, technically or financially problematic.

Policy Performance Targets

• To seal all legal agreements within 6 weeks of a resolution by Committee to grant consent subject to a legal agreement.

• To reduce to zero the number of sites which are not restored to the specified use, standard and approved timescale on the date when restoration and/or aftercare is due to be completed.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• advise applicants that if they have not provided the requisite information, cooperation or financial provisions within 6 weeks of the Committee resolution, that the application will be referred back to the next Committee to consider refusing the application because the proposal is not acceptable without the legal agreement;

57 • advise operators and landowners during restoration or aftercare if these are not being carried out to the agreed standard or within the approved timescale, and that accordingly the bond may be called upon if the problems are not resolved before the work is due to be completed.

5.5 Site Monitoring and Enforcement

Policy 39

Site inspections will be undertaken by the County Council in accordance with the monitoring programme set out in Table 2. Where planning controls are being breached the site operator will be asked to agree and implement remedial steps to resolve the breach. If remedial action is not taken within the given timescale the County Council will consider formal enforcement action.

5.5.1 Conditions imposed on planning permissions set out the basis on which the site may be operated in order to avoid harm to the local environment and unreasonable disturbance to local amenity. The County Council will continue to liaise with operators to address the concerns of local people. Regular site inspections ensure that planning conditions are not being breached and that all operators are abiding by the necessary controls placed on mineral and waste developments. The County Council will continue to provide sufficient staff to monitor sites at appropriate intervals and to work in partnership with operators and agencies such as the Environment Agency and DEFRA.

5.5.2 Where planning controls are being ignored, or operators decline to work with the County Council, rigorous enforcement action will be taken to ensure that the harm caused is removed. Sites where planning controls are being breached will receive additional monitoring visits over and above the frequency set out in Table 2.

5.5.3 An operator's past record of compliance with planning control will be a material consideration when that operator submits any new development proposals to the County Council.

Table 2: Frequency of Site Visits Per Year

Active Sites Frequency Per Year and Targeted Monitoring 5. During soil movement operations in May and Mineral Extraction June. Check correct progression of extraction in accordance with phasing. 5. During summer months to monitor noise and Processing Plant dust conditions. Associated Production Plant 5. Restoration 5. During May to September. 5. One inspection per annum with Environment Landfill Agency. Short-term Waste Disposal for Construction/ 5. Pro rata for duration of tipping Engineering purposes. Waste Treatment 5. Waste Transfer 5. Waste Recycling 5.

Inactive Sites Not commenced or dormant unrestored sites 2. Aftercare 2.

58 Policy Performance Targets

• To undertake the minimum frequency of visits for each site as set out in Table 2 and increase as appropriate the frequency of monitoring at sites where planning controls are being breached.

• To respond to reports about unauthorised development or breaches of planning conditions within 2 working days.

• To decide upon appropriate action to address at least 70% breaches of planning control within 6 weeks.

• To ensure that where an enforcement notice is issued, at least 90% take effect and are not withdrawn or lost on appeal.

• To increase the percentage of enforcement cases which take less than 18 months to remedy from the initial report to compliance/resolution to 60%.

Implementation

The County Council will :

• work with site operators, Parish Councils, Liaison Committees, local residents and other organisations to identify and resolve issues which are detrimental to the environment or local amenity;

• take expedient enforcement action when a breach has not been resolved by agreement or is of such a significant nature as to warrant action to prevent serious harm.

59 Chapter 6 Monitoring

6.1 Plan Monitoring

Policy 40

To ensure that the policies of this Plan remain up to date and effective, the County Council will monitor it on an annual basis and bring forward a review as necessary, but no later than within 5 years of adoption.

6.1.1 To effectively monitor the plan, reliable data needs to be collected and analysed on an annual basis. This data will include sales, reserves and new planning permissions relating to sand and gravel, and volumes and types of waste generated and deposited. Also data will be collected on minerals and waste recycling levels.

Policy Performance Target

• To prepare an Annual Monitoring Report and to review the Plan within 5 years.

Implementation

The County Council will:

• monitor the plan and report progress on an annual basis.

60 Appendix A

Appendix A Preferred Area 1 (PA1) Location: South of the M40 and east of Broad Lane near Beaconsfield.

Area 72 ha.

Potential Yield 4,000,000 tonnes (estimate).

Gravel Type Concreting aggregate and soft sand.

Planning History This area together with land to the north (now permitted) was included in the draft and adopted Minerals Subject Plan (MSP). In the adopted MSP, the eastern boundary was drawn to exclude a salient of Grade 2 agricultural land. This land was subsequently included since the working of high grade land would not conflict with the advice in (then) Circular 16/87, provided that a high standard of restoration was feasible. It became Area 7 in the deposit RMLP and Area 2 in the adopted 1995 RMLP and the subsequent Review of the plan adopted in 2000. An application for the extraction of mineral from part of the Preferred Area has been submitted and is expected to be determined during 2006.

Access Access will be from Broad Lane and traffic routed north, by legal agreement, to the A40. An improved junction on the A40 may be required at the developer’s expense. A routing agreement will be required so as to avoid traffic to and from this area passing through Beaconsfield Conservation Area.

Extraction Rate 250,000 tonnes per annum maximum.

After-treatment Landfill or low level restoration. The Area may be underlain with chalk solution features, and the County Council will require a full hydrogeological assessment of any proposed after-treatment, unless the site is to be filled solely with inert materials.

After-Use Agriculture or forestry.

Other Comments A number of public rights of way cross Preferred Area 1 (PA1) and may need to be diverted during mineral operations. There are two Grade II listed buildings central to but excluded from this preferred area - Over’s Farm and Lillyfee Farm - which have been protected by a 100 metre buffer zone.

Parts of PA1 are of ecological interest, and it is close to Mill Wood and Dipple Wood (both of which are in part ancient semi-natural woodlands, containing rare plants). Any potential risks to important ecological features will have to be carefully studied, and measures to avoid or overcome them put forward with any application for working this Area.

PA1 also contains the probable manor of Lillyfee with the possibility of an outlying medieval settlement, and is traversed by the theoretical line of a Roman road. An archaeological appraisal will be required as part of any application.

An environmental assessment will be required as part of any application for extraction or infilling at this Preferred Area. 61 There are numerous sites of nature conservation importance throughout PA1, consultation with the Local Wildlife Trust or Bucks Record Centre is recommended to ensure that the nature conservation interest of the various sites is not compromised.

62

63 Appendix A Preferred Area 2 (PA2)

Location South west of New Denham.

Area 57.7 ha.

Potential Yield 3,000,000 tonnes (estimate).

Gravel Type Concreting aggregate.

Planning History An area of land similar to PA2 was identified in the draft Minerals Subject Plan (MSP) and following public consultation, slightly modified and shown as Area 16 in the revised MSP that was placed on deposit. However, in 1981 the Inspector who presided over the public local inquiry into the MSP recommended, inter alia, that Area 16 should be deleted. The Inspector concluded that the creation of a new junction on the A412 would be contrary to the advice contained in the (then) Development Control Policy Note No. 6 and “would unacceptably affect the safety and the free flow of the fast- moving traffic using the A412 road”. However, in considering the amenity of the area the Inspector commented:

“While I accept that the land may be of considerable amenity value to local people, I consider that with the provision of suitably located and landscaped screening measures, a phased programme of extraction and a progressive restoration scheme, sand and gravel could be extracted from Area 16 without an unduly adverse effect on the landscape or the amenities of local residents”.

PA2 was included as Area 11 in the deposit Replacement Minerals Local Plan (RMLP) and became Area 4 in the 1995 adopted RMLP, subject to a phasing restriction prohibiting production before 2001. The area remained as Area 4 in the 2000 Review of the RMLP but the phasing restriction has been extended to 2006. An application for the extraction of mineral from this Preferred Area has been submitted and is expected to be determined during 2006.

Access Access should be gained from the A412, via a new roundabout in the vicinity of Willetts Lane. The roundabout will be provided to the satisfaction of the Highway Authority.

Extraction Rate No limit.

Phasing Extraction from this Preferred Area was restricted until 2006.

After-Treatment Lakes designed and landscaped so as to be an asset to the Colne Valley Park.

After-Use Since PA2 occupies a central location in the Colne Valley Park, the County Council considers that it offers considerable recreational potential. Applicants will be required to submit a detailed restoration scheme before planning permission is issued showing how the land will be utilised and for water-based recreation in keeping with the objectives of the Park. This scheme will also be expected to take account of the requirements of Policy 34 of this plan with regard to the potential risk of bird strike for air traffic and aerodromes.

64

Other Comments

This flat site, which is in the Colne Valley Park, is fairly open and is visible from the A412, A4020 and Knighton Way Lane. Longer distance views can be obtained from the west and north west.

PA2 is crossed in part by a wastewater rising main which will need to be protected. This site is immediately adjacent to the Iver electricity substation and is crossed by three overhead electricity lines which will need to be protected and access ensured for maintenance. National Grid Transco request consultation on any development briefs or applications relating to PA2 which may affect the substation or overhead lines.

A buffer of at least 200 metres has been provided around New Denham. Although some screening is provided by existing hedgerows and trees this will need to be strengthened by further planting and landscaped bunds

Safeguarding margins will be required for the River Alderbourne and River Colne which form the south western and eastern boundaries of PA2. The Rusholt Brook, which crosses the Area from north to south, is also classified by the Environment Agency as a main river which must be protected from any adverse impact arising from mineral extraction. A satisfactory scheme to divert or safeguard this will need to be prepared. Potential developers will need to have early discussions with the Agency. If the level of the water table in and near to PA2 is likely to be affected by the extraction of gravel any applicant will need to demonstrate ways of overcoming any problems that would otherwise result.

Safeguarding margins will also be required for the Iver to Arkley water main which passes through the site.

PA2 is adjacent to the Alderbourne, not far from its confluence with the Colne. Fisheries surveys on the River Alderbourne show that it has high value habitats for a limited range of fish, it supports brown trout and contains good habitat features. In addition, the River Colne has highly valued fish populations and habitat diversities. This location is also known to be rich in prehistoric sites and, in particular, those of the Mesolithic period. A comprehensive archaeological evaluation will accordingly be required as part of any application for working this area.

PA2 also has considerable ecological interest, and is close to the Kingcup Meadows a designated site of Special Scientific Interest (immediately to the west of the A412). Any potential risks to important ecological features will have to be carefully studied, and measures to avoid or overcome them put forward with any application. The integrity of groundwater levels under Kingcup Meadows and Oldhouse Wood must be protected. An environmental assessment will be required as part of any application for extraction or filling at this Preferred Area.

English Nature should be consulted regarding the proximity of this preferred area to the Kingcup Meadows SSSI and to ensure that the interest of the site is not compromised. The River Colne in this area forms part of a Site of Borough Importance (Grade 1) for nature conservation. A buffer zone (protection zone) of 100 metres should be provided on both sides of the River Colne and Alderbourne in this area to preserve the river corridor and interest of the SBI.

A full ecological/environmental assessment and hydrological assessment of the area would be required to look at the potential impacts of mineral extraction on the Preferred Area and adjacent areas of nature conservation interest such as the River Colne, the Alderbourne and Kingcup Meadows SSSI.

65

66 Appendix A Preferred Area 3 (PA3)

Location Denham Park Farm, east of the M25, north of Nockhill and Juniper Woods.

Area 34.0ha.

Potential Yield 1,700,000 tonnes (Proven).

Gravel Type Hoggin and soft sand.

Planning History This Preferred Area was previously included in the adopted Minerals Subject Plan (MSP) as Preferred Area 4 and the adopted Replacement Minerals Local Plan (RMLP) as Preferred Area 1. Three applications were made to work this area by William Boyer & Son Ltd. The first two applications were subsequently withdrawn. The third was refused consent due to inadequate details in the application.

Application number SBD/8212/94 was granted to work this area in September 1998. The consent lapsed in September 2003, but application number SBD/8214/02 was submitted prior to this for the renewal of the earlier consent. Application SBD/8214/02 remains undetermined, but it is likely to be determined during 2006.

There was a planning consent from Three Rivers District Council (8/672/82) to take access from the A412 by private haul road running east/west to the northern boundary of the Preferred Area which expired at the end of 1998.

Access The use of either Slade Oak Lane or Tilehouse Lane for access to Preferred Area 3 will not be permitted. Access will be to the satisfaction of the Highway Authorities. However, precise details of access are a matter for Hertfordshire County Council and the Three Rivers District Council since the access points to the A412 lie within their area.

Extraction Rate The extraction rate is to be agreed in conjunction with the Highway Authorities’ requirements.

After-Treatment Landfill. The Preferred Area may be underlain with chalk solution features, and the County Council will require a full hydrogeological assessment of any proposed after-treatment unless the site is to be filled solely with inert materials.

After-Use Agriculture or forestry.

Other Comments The Preferred Area is in the Colne Valley Park. It adjoins the M25 motorway along its western boundary and is remote from residential development. It is well screened along its southern boundary by Nockhill and Juniper Woods. These should be protected for both amenity and ecological reasons.

There are no public rights of way across the Preferred Area although a bridleway (Shire Lane) which runs along its eastern edge would need to be screened by a bund.

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68 Proposed Waste Transfer Facility at

High Heavens

Site Description and History

High heavens is in the upper reaches of a dry valley on the Chilterns dip slope, running down to Marlow Bottom and the Thames Valley. The surrounding landscape is countryside comprising farmland with a high level of woodland cover. There is a strong landform of the dip slope incised by dry valleys and, despite its proximity to High Wycombe and the M40, it is high quality landscape. Inevitably the long existence of the landfill site has affected the way the surrounding land has been managed - in particular by widespread planting of belts of trees to screen and visually contain the site.

The site is flanked on its southern fringe by the landfill site and on its northern, eastern and western fringes by agricultural land and woodland with no public rights of way across the site.

The site proposed for a waste transfer facility is located within the High Heavens waste disposal complex to the south west of High Wycombe. It is approximately 1km south of the M40 motorway and has access from Clay Lane. This road links the Booker area of High Wycombe to the B482 Marlow – Stokenchurch Road. The complex comprises an extensive former landfill (no longer operational) and a cluster of related waste management uses.

The former landfill site covers approximately 35ha. Waste was accepted from the mid 1950s to 2000, raising the ground level of the valley. The landfilling is complete except for the final cover materials, and is in the process of being restored to agricultural land and woodland over the next few years. There is a landfill gas management system in place connected to a generator feeding the National Grid.

The site for a potential Waste Transfer Facility (WTF) comprises some 4ha at the northern end of the complex. Although it is not part of the landfill recent ground investigations for the County Council have shown that much of the site is not on natural ground, but was filled in the 1950s with waste. The site contains a number of different facilities, with associated buildings and structures. Part of the ground is covered with roads and concrete standings for heavy vehicular access. The approach is down a lane about 0.5km long. Prior to waste management uses land use was woodland and remnants remain around the edges giving a wooded backdrop.

69

70 Proposed Waste Transfer Facility at

London Road, Amersham

Site Description

The site is located on the southern side of the A413 between Amersham and Chalfont St Giles.

Originally, the site of an old tip, it was subsequently used as a Waste Transfer Facility until the mid 1980s. Since then it has been the location of the Amersham Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC).

71

72 Proposed Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) at College Road North, Aston Clinton

Site Description

After consultation on the Plan, a number of potential sites were put forward by respondents, of which only one at College Road North, Aston Clinton, proved to be suitable for the development of an HWRC facility. The site lies on the northwestern fringe of the village, on the far side of the Aston Clinton bypass. The extent of the site is 4.14 hectares, which is in excess of the criteria size for a new HWRC. The safeguarded site therefore allows for adequate landscaping and amenity measures.

73

74 Safeguarded Rail Aggregates Depot

Site, Aylesbury

Site Description and History

Redland Aggregates Ltd formerly utilised National Coal Board (NCB) sidings and bottom discharge facilities. Some of this site (eg the former NCB sidings) has been redeveloped. It would be necessary to explore with the industry if this area could be viably operated as a rail aggregates depot. Some vacant railway operational land remains alongside the freight-only line to Calvert and there is a long loop line in situ on the eastern side used by engineers’ trains. Existing plant could be served by conveyor or self-discharge train. Although there are some highway capacity problems to be resolved in the vicinity, the site will remain available. The land adjoining to the east and north of the Thame Road bridge is mainly in industrial and commercial use; land to the west is industrial at the northern end and residential to the southern end. The proximity of residential property could give rise to complaints if night-time train shunting and discharging occurred, but the main activity would be to the north of the housing. The County Council is not aware of any other available operational or vacant land adjoining the railway in the Aylesbury area.

75

76 Safeguarded Rail Aggregates Depot

Site, Iver

Site Description and History

This depot supplies coated and uncoated roadstone to the much larger London market. In 1981, planning permission was granted, and subsequently implemented, for modernisation including the installation of bottom discharge facilities and a covered building for stockpiling railborne stone.

77

78 Safeguarded Site for a Multi-Modal Transport Facility near Richings

Park

Site Description

The site, approximately 10 hectares, lies between the Grand Union Canal (Slough Arm) and the mainline railway. The vacant land is located between a caravan park and an industrial site.

The proposed facility would enable waste to be transported by both rail and canal but would require the provision of a new road access.

Identified waste management facilities that could be rail accessed from the site are at Newton Longville (Milton Keynes), Sandford (Oxford), Calvert and Colnbrook. Three of these sites have potential to be rail connected, or lie close to siding facilities that could be so used. In addition, waterways allow access to Milton Keynes by the Grand Union Canal and Oxford by the River Thames.

The safeguarding of the site in Policy 15 is contingent, in that a requirement would only arise if the County Council could not secure appropriate waste recovery sites or capacity and had to use transfer instead, whereby:

• Either residual waste from the South Buckinghamshire area could be collected at the site for onward transfer (by rail or water) for management elsewhere; • Or, residual waste from parts of Mid- & southern Bucks (for example, parts of Aylesbury Vale and Wycombe districts) might be moved to the MMWTF for transfer to, for example, the Colnbrook facility.

The Council recognises these possibilities require further examination but, in the meantime, it will safeguard this site whilst the necessary studies are undertaken.

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Appendix B Main Guidance and Legislation informing the preparation of this Plan

Acts of Parliament Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 Environment Act 1995 Planning and Compensation Act 1991 Environmental Protection Act 1990 Town and Country Planning Act 1990 Highways Act 1980

Statutory Instruments

SI 1999 No. 3280 Town and Country Planning (Development Plan) (England) Regulations 1999 SI 1999 No. 1892 Town and Country Planning (Trees) Regulations 1999 SI 1999 No. 293 Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations 1999 SI 1999 No. 193 Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications and Deemed Applications) Regulations 1989 SI 1995 No. 419 Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995 SI 1995 No. 418 Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 SI 1994 No. 2716 Conservation (Natural Habitats, etc) Regulations 1994 SI 1992 No. 1492 Town and Country Planning General Regulations 1992 SI 1992 No. 656 Planning (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 1992 SI 1991 No. 2804 Town and Country Planning (Enforcement Notices and Appeals) Regulations 1991 SI 1990 No. 1519 Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Regulations 1990 SI 1988 No. 1812 Town and Country Planning (Applications) Regulations 1988 SI 1987 No. 764 Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987

Planning Policy Guidance Notes

PPG1 General Policy and Principles PPG2 Green Belts PPG3 Housing PPG4 Industrial and Commercial Development and Small Firms PPG5 Simplified Planning Zones PPG6 Town Centres and Retail Development PPG7 The Countryside: Environment Quality and Economic and Social Development PPG8 Telecommunications PPG9 Nature Conservation PPG10 Planning and Waste Management PPG11 Regional Planning PPG12 Development Plans PPG13 Transport PPG14 Development on Unstable Land PPG15 Planning and the Historic Environment PPG16 Archaeology and Planning PPG17 Planning for Open Space, Sport and Recreation PPG18 Enforcing Planning Control PPG19 Outdoor Advertisement Control PPG20 Coastal Planning PPG21 Tourism 81 PPG22 Renewable Energy PPG23 Planning and Pollution Control PPG24 Planning and Noise PPG25 Development and flood risk Minerals Policy Guidance Notes

Minerals Policy Guidance Notes

MPG1 General Considerations and the Development Plan System MPG2 Applications, Permissions and Conditions MPG3 Coal Mining and Colliery Spoil Disposal MPG4 Revocation, Modification, Discontinuation, Prohibition and Suspension Orders Town and Country Planning (Compensation for Restriction on Mineral Working and Mineral Waste Depositing) Regulations 1997 MPG5 Stability in Surface Mineral Working and Tips MPG6 Guidelines for Aggregates Provision in England MPG7 The Reclamation of Mineral Workings MPG8 Planning and Compensation Act 1991: Interim Development Order Permission (IDOs) - Statutory Provisions and Procedures MPG9 Planning and Compensation Act 1991: Interim Development Order Permission (IDOs) Conditions MPG10 Provision of Raw Material for the Cement Industry MPG11 Control of Noise at Surface Mineral Workings MPG 12 Treatment of Disused Mine Openings and Availability of Information on Mined Ground MPG13 Guidelines for Peat Provision in England, including the place of Alternative Materials MPG14 Environment Act 1995: Review of Mineral Planning Permissions MPG15 Provision of Silica Sand in England Selected Circulars (inc. ex DETR and DOE circulars)

Selected Circulars (inc. ex DETR and DOE circulars)

01/03 Safeguarding, Aerodromes, Technical Sites 01/03 Town & Country Planning (Safeguarded Aerodromes Technical Sites & Military Explosive Storage Areas) Direction 2002 01/01 Arrangements for handling heritage applications - Notification and Directions by the Secretary of State (Culture, Media and Sport Circular 01/2001) 04/01 Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 05/00 Planning Appeals: Procedures (Including Inquiries into Called-in Planning Applications) 04/00 Planning controls for hazardous substances 07/99 The Town and Country Planning (Development Plans and Consultation) (Departures) Directions 1999 02/99 Environmental Impact Assessment 10/97 Enforcing Planning Control: Legislative Provisions and Procedural Requirements 01/97 Planning Obligations 15/96 Planning Appeal Procedures 11/95 The Use of Conditions in Planning Permissions 11/94 Environmental Protection Act 1990: Part II, Waste Management Licensing, The Framework Directive on Waste 02/93 Public Rights of Way 31/92 The Town and Country Planning(Fees for Applications and Deemed Applications) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 1992 19/92 The Town and Country Planning (Development Plans and Consultation) Directions 1992 15/92 Publicity for Planning Applications 14/91 Planning and Compensation Act 1991 14/90 Electricity Generating Stations and Overhead Lines 17/89 Landfill Sites: Development Control 01/88 Planning Policy Guidance and Minerals Planning Guidance 20/87 Use of Waste Material for Road Fill 22/80 Development Control - Policy and Practice 58/78 Report on the Committee on Planning Control over Mineral Working 36/78 Trees and Forestry

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Appendix C Glossary of Acronyms, Minerals and Waste Terms

Acronyms

BAA British Aggregates Association MLP Minerals Local Plan MPA Minerals Planning Authority MPG Minerals Planning Guidance MSP Minerals Subject Plan NCG National Co-ordinating Group (of the RAWPs) PPG Planning Policy Guidance QPA Quarry Products Association RAMSAR Wetlands of International Importance RAWP Regional Aggregates Working Party RPG Regional Planning Guidance SAC Special Area of Conservation SEERA South East England Regional Assembly SEERAWP South East England Regional Aggregate Working Party SERTAB South East Regional Technical Advisory Board for Waste SPA Special Protection Area S.S.S.I. Site of Special Scientific Interest

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Minerals Terms

Aftercare - Management measures taken to bring restored sites to the required standard for future use. After-use - Use of former mineral workings and landfill sites after they have been restored. Aggregate - "inert particulate matter which, when brought together in a bound or unbound condition, form part or the whole of a building or civil engineering structure". Agricultural land grades - The best and most versatile agricultural land as defined by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. 1,2, and 3A Apportionment - Share of the regional demand for aggregate to be met from land-won sand and gravel. Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - Area of countryside designated by the Countryside Commission with the primary objective of conserving its natural beauty. Area of Attractive Landscape - Area designated by the district councils as being of local landscape importance. Borrow pit - Mineral working to provide materials for a specific and major construction project and normally close to the works. Buffer zone – Safeguarding area around dwellings and other sensitive developments and areas to protect them from the most immediate damaging effects of mineral working and waste disposal. Bund - An embankment, or mound, formed of natural material, usually soil, used to screen a site from view and/or noise. Cement - Substance made by calcing lime and clay, mixed with water and sand to form a mortar or used in concrete. Concrete - Composition of gravel, sand, cement and water used for building. Concrete batching plant - Plant which produces ready-mixed concrete for construction purposes. Crushed concrete - Concrete from demolition sites, crushed and re-used as an aggregate for construction. Crushed rock - Hard rock, often limestone or granite, fragmented and graded for use as an aggregate. Development Plan - Statutory document which sets out the local planning authorities' policies and proposals for the use of land in its area. Environmental Assessment - The systematic evaluation of the likely environmental effects of a development, together with an assessment of how adverse effects might be mitigated. Environmental Statement - Document setting out a developer's assessment of a project's likely environmental effects. Green Belt - An area of land, designated in a Development Plan, whose primary purpose is to curb the outward expansion of a large urban area and within which development is strictly controlled. Hydrogeology - The behaviour of water through rock. Hydrological survey - The study of the movement of water within an area. Interim Development Order - A mineral permission granted after 21 July 1943 and before 1 July 1948, which has been preserved by successive Planning Acts as a valid permission in respect of development which had not been carried out by 1 July 1948. Landbank - The quantity of mineral remaining to be worked at sites with planning permission for mineral working - usually expressed as the number of years that permitted reserves will last at the indicated level of supply and given rate of extraction. Land-won aggregates - Primary aggregates excluding marine aggregates. Marine aggregates - Aggregates dredged from the sea bed. Mineral Consultation Areas - Areas which contain known mineral deposits within which the district councils should consult the County Council on any development proposals which could sterilize possible future mineral working. Overburden - Material (soil, clay or rock) which must be removed before extracting the mineral deposit beneath it. Permitted reserves - Mineral deposits that have planning permission for extraction. Primary aggregates - Naturally occurring materials, including sands and gravels and rocks, but excluding reused/ recycled materials or the waste materials of other processes that are capable of being used for aggregate purposes (secondary aggregates) 84 Primary minerals - Minerals dug from the ground. Proposals Map - Ordnance Survey based map specifying the proposals of a Local Plan Rail depot - Reception point for aggregates moved in by train. Restoration - Process of returning a site or area to its former or appropriate future use following mineral extraction/waste disposal. Secondary aggregates - Materials (such as mineral wastes, recycled materials from the construction and demolition industries, and industrial by-products) processed and used for aggregates purposes. Secondary materials - Materials that are the wastes arising from other activities which may be used in place of primary minerals Sustainable development - Development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

85 Waste Terms

Anaerobic digestion - a process where biodegradable material is encouraged to break down in the absence of oxygen. Material is placed into an enclosed vessel and in controlled conditions the waste breaks down into digestate and biogas. Best Value - places a duty on local authorities to deliver services (including waste collection and waste disposal management) to clear standards – covering both cost and quality – by the most effective, economic and efficient means available. Biodegradable municipal waste - that component of municipal waste which is "biodegradable". The EC Landfill Directive itself defines biodegradable waste as "any waste that is capable of undergoing anaerobic or aerobic decomposition" [Article 2(1)]. The House of Lords in its report Sustainable Landfill has noted that this definition is inadequate since it omits any reference to time. It therefore recommended that biodegradable waste should be defined in terms of its ability to degrade completely within the aftercare period set out in the Directive "for leaving the site in an environmentally benign state". That period is now given as 30 years (Common Position, European Environment Council, 23 March 1998). Buckinghamshire Waste Authorities - Buckinghamshire County Council is the Waste Disposal Authority (WDA) for the county. It is legally responsible for the safe disposal of household waste and to provide Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs). The four District Councils (Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe District Councils) are the Waste Collection Authorities (WCAs) within Buckinghamshire. They have a statutory responsibility to provide a waste collection service to householders and, on request, to local businesses. WCAs also collect bulky household waste and cleanse the streets. Centralised composting - large-scale schemes which handle kitchen and garden waste from households and which may also accept suitable waste from parks and gardens. Schemes may rely on aerobic methods or use anaerobic digesters. Composting - an aerobic, biological process in which organic wastes, such as garden and kitchen waste are converted into a stable granular material which can be applied to land to improve soil structure and enrich the nutrient content of the soil. Composting (Enclosed Reactor) - shredded waste is placed inside a container or chamber through which air is forced. This method allows good control of temperature, moisture and aeration leading to rapid composting (sometimes as little as two weeks) although it will then need a period of outdoor maturation. Composting (Windrowing) - shredded waste is placed in elongated heaps, called windrows, normally outdoors. The windrows are turned mechanically to periodically aerate the composting waste. The process takes at least 16 weeks, at the end of which the compost represents half the weight of the input material. Civic Amenity Waste - a sub-group of household waste, normally delivered by the public direct to sites provided by the local authority. Consists generally of bulky items such as beds, cookers and garden waste as well as recyclables. Clinical Waste - waste arising from medical, nursing, dental, veterinary, pharmaceutical or similar practices, which may present risks of infection. Combined Heat and Power - a highly fuel-efficient technology which produces electricity and heat from a single facility. Commercial Waste - waste arising from premises which are used wholly or mainly for trade, business, sport, recreation or entertainment, excluding municipal and industrial waste. Construction and Demolition Waste - arises from the construction, repair, maintenance and demolition of buildings and structures. It mostly includes brick, concrete, hardcore, subsoil and topsoil, but it can also contain quantities of timber, metal, plastics and (occasionally) special (hazardous) waste materials. Controlled Waste - comprised of household, industrial, commercial and clinical waste which requires a waste management licence for treatment, transfer or disposal. The main exempted categories comprise mine, quarry and farm wastes. Radioactive and explosive wastes are controlled by other legislation and procedures. Energy from Waste - the combustion of waste under controlled conditions in which the heat released is recovered to provide hot water and steam (usually) for electricity generation. Environment Agency - established in April 1996, combining the functions of former local waste regulation authorities, the National Rivers Authority and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Pollution. Intended to promote a more integrated approach to waste management and consistency in waste regulation. The Agency also conducts national surveys of waste arisings and waste facilities. EU Landfill Directive - adopted by the Member States during 1999, is intended to reduce the environmental effect of the landfilling of waste by introducing uniform standards throughout the 86 European Union. The main objectives are to stimulate recycling and recovery of waste, and to reduce emissions of methane (a powerful greenhouse gas). The Directive requires the UK to reduce the proportion of biodegradable municipal solid waste going to landfill to 35% (by weight) of the 1995 level by 2020. It also introduces the mandatory "pre-treatment" of putrescible waste and a ban on the co- disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes. Hazardous Waste – new legislation concerning the treatment and disposal of waste classified as ‘’hazardous’’ came into effect in July 2004. Home Composting - compost can be made at home using a traditional compost heap, a purpose- designed container, or a wormery. Household Waste - includes waste from household collection rounds (waste within Schedule 1 of the Controlled Waste Regulations 1992), waste from services such as street sweeping, bulky waste collection, hazardous household waste collection, litter collections, household clinical waste collection and separate garden waste collection (waste within Schedule 2 of the Controlled Waste Regulations 1992), waste from civic amenity sites and wastes separately collected for recycling or composting through bring/drop off schemes, kerbside schemes and at civic amenity sites (Source: Municipal Waste Management 1995/96, DETR, June 1997). Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs) - facilities provided by Buckinghamshire County Council for the disposal of waste that is usually excluded from the regular household waste collection service (Civic Amenity Waste). Incineration - is the controlled burning of waste, either to reduce its volume, or its toxicity. Energy recovery from incineration can be made by utilising the calorific value of paper, plastic, etc to produce heat or power. Current fluegas emission standards are very high. Ash residues still tend to be disposed of to landfill. Industrial Waste - waste from any factory and from any premises occupied by an industry (excluding mines and quarries). Inert Waste - waste which, when deposited into a waste disposal site, does not undergo any significant physical, chemical or biological transformation and which complies with the criteria set out in Annex III of the EU Directive on the Landfill of Waste. Integrated Waste Management - involves a number of key elements, including: recognising each step in the waste management process as part of a whole; involving all key players in the decision- making process; and utilising a mixture of waste management options within the locally determined sustainable waste management system. Kerbside Collection - any regular collection of recyclables from premises, including collections from commercial or industrial premises as well as from households. Excludes collection services delivered on demand. Land-Use Planning - the Town and Country Planning system regulates the development and use of land in the public interest, and has an important role to play in achieving sustainable waste management. Landfill Sites - are areas of land in which waste is deposited. Landfill sites are often located in disused quarries or mines. In areas where there are limited, or no ready-made voids, the practice of land raising is sometimes carried out, where some or all of the waste is deposited above ground, and the landscape is contoured. Leachate – contaminated liquid which can seep from a landfill site. Licensed Site – a waste disposal or treatment facility which is licensed under the Environmental Protection Act for that function. Minimisation - see Reduction. Municipal waste - includes household waste and any other wastes collected managed by a Waste Collection Authority, or its agents, such as municipal parks and gardens waste, beach cleansing waste, commercial or industrial waste resulting from the clearance of flytipped materials. It also includes rubble. (Source: Monitoring and evaluating recycling, composting and recovery programmes, DETR, February 1999). It should be noted that some definitions of municipal waste (such as that used by the Audit Commission for the preparation of the Citizens' Charter monitoring figures) include street sweepings and the figures used in this report follow this convention. Proximity principle - the proximity principle (as applied to wastes) is that they should be treated or disposed of as near to their place of origin as possible so as to minimise the distance that they are moved. Recycling - involves the reprocessing of wastes, either into the same product or a different one. Many nonhazardous industrial wastes such as paper, glass, cardboard, plastics and scrap metals can be recycled. Special wastes such as solvents can also be recycled by specialist companies, or by in- house equipment. Reduction - achieving as much waste reduction as possible is a priority action. Reduction can be accomplished within a manufacturing process involving the review of production processes to optimize

87 utilisation of raw (and secondary) materials and recirculation processes. It can be cost-effective, both in terms of lower disposal costs, reduced demand for raw materials and energy costs. It can be carried out by householders through actions such as home composting, reusing products and buying goods with reduced packaging. Re-Use - can be practised by the commercial sector with the use of products designed to be used a number of times, such as re-usable packaging. Householders can purchase products that use refillable containers, or re-use plastic bags. The processes contribute to sustainable development and can save raw materials, energy and transport costs. Self-sufficiency - dealing with wastes within the region or country where they arise. Separate collection - kerbside schemes where materials for recycling are collected either by a different vehicle or at a different time to the ordinary household waste collection. Sustainable Development - development which is sustainable is that which can meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Treatment - involves the chemical or biological processing of certain types of waste for the purposes of rendering them harmless, reducing volumes before landfilling, or recycling certain wastes. Unitary Authority - a local authority which has the responsibilities of both Waste Collection and Waste Disposal Authorities. Waste - is the wide-ranging term encompassing most unwanted materials and is defined by the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Waste includes any scrap material, effluent or unwanted surplus substance or article which requires to be disposed of because it is broken, worn out, contaminated or otherwise spoiled. Explosives and radioactive wastes are excluded. Waste Arisings - the amount of waste generated in a given locality over a given period of time. Waste hierarchy - the waste hierarchy ranks the main waste management options in order of “environmental friendliness” as follows: Minimise waste; Re-use; Recover value (recycling, composting or treatment with energy recovery); Disposal to landfill as a last resort. Waste Management Industry - the businesses (and not-for-profit organisations) involved in the collection, management and disposal of waste. Waste Management Licensing - licences are required by anyone who proposes to deposit, recover or dispose of waste. The licensing system is separate from, but complementary to, the land use planning system. The purpose of a licence and the conditions attached to it is to ensure that the waste operation which it authorizes is carried out in a way which protects the environment and human health. Waste Transfer Facility - a site to which waste is delivered for sorting prior to transfer to another place for recycling, treatment or disposal.

Document produced by Planning and Environment, Buckinghamshire County Council. Rodney Royston, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Huw Jones, Head of Planning and Environment.

For further information contact: Graham Liddiard on 01296 382 114, [email protected] or Richard Matthews on 01296 382 747, [email protected]

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