Minerals Policies MONITORING REPORT 2013 1 April 2012 – 31 March 2013 December 2013 Reviewed June 2014 1 Contents Page 1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………...3 2. Background to Monitoring……………………………………………….……………3 2.1 Purpose of the Monitoring Report document………………………………….……..4 2.2 The Minerals Core Strategy …………………………………….…………………......4 2.3 How we have achieved the milestones set out in our programme for Preparing our Development Plan documents for minerals……………………...…..4 3. Suffolk in Context…………………………………………………………………….…5 3.1 Households (need to provide for new dwellings)……………………………….…….5 3.2 Development trends……………………………………………………………….….....5 3.3 Economy…………………………………………………………………………..……...6 3.4 Minerals information……………………………………………………………..….…...6 4. Future provision of sand and gravel in the County………………………………7 4.1 East of England Aggregate Working Party advice on demand for sand and gravel………………………………………………………………………………...7 4.2 Maintaining of seven-year landbank in accordance with NPPF………………........7 4.3 Need for a review………………………………………………………………………..8 4.4 Duty to co-operate…………………………………………………………………........8 5. Facilitating the sustainable use of minerals - facts and achievements……….9 5.1 The Vision set out in the Minerals Core Strategy…………………………...………..9 5.2 Performance of Minerals Core Strategy (1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013)…………………………………………………………………….………………...9 5.3 Applications coming forward for consideration and decisions taken…………......10 6. Monitoring………………………………………………………………………..…...…12 6.1 Monitoring of sites…………………………………………………………………........12 7. Conclusions…………………………......................................................................13 Appendix A……………………………………………………………………………...…..14 2 1. Introduction 1.1 Suffolk produces sand and g ravel and c halk. Sand and gravel underpins the construction sector and the chalk supports the agricultural sector. These mineral resources make an essential contribution to the nation’s prosperity and t o the quality of life. Sand and gravel provides the critical raw material for both economic and community infrastructure, manufacturing and for maintenance of infrastructure. 1.2 There are a number of sources supplying aggregates, which include secondary, recycled and marine sources. However, the majority of aggregate demand is met from extraction from land. There are also significant geographical imbalances in the occurrence of suitable natural aggregate resources, and the areas where they are most needed. 1.3 Suffolk County Council (SCC) has completed its original programme of Development Plan Documents (DPD) by adopting both a Minerals Core Strategy and a Minerals Specific Sites Allocation DPD. 1.4 The County Council is required to produce an annual Monitoring Report (MR). This monitors progress on the implementation of policies set out in the adopted documents. The Monitoring Report also helps to assess whether changes are required to these documents. 1.5 The County Council also surveys mineral production on an annual basis. It a lso estimates the amount of secondary or recycled aggregates produced and collates the number and scale of new planning permissions granted for mineral extraction, progress on restoration of sites and the size of the minerals landbank. 2. Background to Monitoring 2.1 Purpose of the Monitoring Report document 2.1.1 The primary purpose of the Monitoring Report (MR) is to share the performance and achievements of the planning service with the local community. To achieve this objective Suffolk County Council produces a Monitoring Report to monitor the effectiveness of Suffolk Minerals Core Strategy policies and the Minerals Specific Site Allocations document. It provides information on the need, if any, for a review of those policies. The purpose of this report is to identify an effective way to gather evidence for future policy, and support development management decisions. It also identifies areas where objectives aren’t being met and changes to policy or development management are necessary. 2.1.2 The Localism Act removed the requirement for local planning authorities to submit an Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) to Government, while retaining the overall duty to monitor implementation of the Development Plan. Because of this, authorities can now choose which targets and indicators to include in the report as long as they are in line with the relevant UK and EU legislation. 2.1.3 This Monitoring Report was prepared in accordance with the Development Plan Regulations 2012 and informed by the Planning Advisory Service (PAS) 3 document ‘Monitoring that matters – towards a better AMR’ April 2011. The MR will inform the Local Aggregate Assessment. 2.1.4 Suffolk County Council has prepared and consulted on a Local Aggregate Assessment (LAA) in 2013 and intends to prepare an updated LAA document and consult on i t in 2014. LAA is an important component for informing the Managed Aggregates Supply System and provides an assessment of the future need for aggregates and how this may be supplied. It will be pr epared in compliance with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the subsequent Department of Communities and Local Government guidance and be the subject of consultation with the Aggregate Working Party. 2.2 The Minerals Core Strategy 2.2.1 The Minerals Core Strategy provides a vision for how mineral extraction should be managed in the county and identifies the social, economic and environmental objectives to achieve this vision. It also includes a Spatial Strategy indicating where new minerals development may be acceptable and identifies how much mineral extraction needs to be planned for in Suffolk up until 2021. 2.2.2 It also contains a range of Development Control policies for mineral planning proposals that will inform future planning decisions. All minerals development proposals in Suffolk should accord with the Core Strategy. 2.2.3 The MR includes information on a pplications for planning permission, active quarries and recycling operations and, during this MR year, the monitoring of the Adopted Minerals Core Strategy and M inerals Specific Site Allocations DPD where relevant or applicable. Minerals returns are provided by the Industry on a calendar year basis and unless otherwise specified, information relates to the calendar year 2012. 2.2.4 The MR continues to report on issues relating to the reserves of minerals, the uptake of sites and the application of development management policies. 2.3 How we have achieved the milestones set out in our programme for preparing our Development Plan documents for minerals 2.3.1 The milestones set out in the County Council’s most recent Development Scheme (originally approved December 2006, and published in final form August 2009) have all been met as follows (see Appendix A); 2.3.2 Minerals Core Strategy: The Minerals Core Strategy was adopted by Council on 25th September 2008. 2.3.3 Minerals Specific Site Allocation: The Minerals Specific Site Allocation DPD was adopted by Council on 24th September 2009. 4 2.3.4 Sustainability Appraisal: Alongside the development plan documents there is a requirement to produce sustainability appraisal reports on the documents. Their production ran in parallel to the preparation of the minerals and w aste development documents. Consultation on them occurred at the same time as the corresponding DPD so that their timetable for production mirrors that of these other documents. 2.3.5 Suffolk County Council is in the process of preparing a new Development Scheme and intends to publish details of this later in 2014. 3. Suffolk in Context 3.1 Households (need to provide for new dwellings) 3.1.1 Aggregate minerals underpin the construction sector and provide the critical raw material for built development and infrastructure. An important construction demand is the need to provide for new dwellings in Suffolk at an average build rate of 3211 per year. The current figure for the construction of new dwellings in 2012-2013 was around 1866 per annum (2011 figure was 1,993 source Suffolk Observatory). There has been a s ignificant decline in the number of housing completions in Suffolk in recent years and this has had an effect on the construction sector and on the minerals industry. 3.2 Development trends 3.2.1 It is expected that growth will occur in all districts within Suffolk. With a particular focus in and around Ipswich, North Haverhill, North West Stowmarket and Bury St Edmunds. These locations have been identified within the New Anglian Strategic Economic Plan, a l ocal enterprise partnership, as particular growth locations where significant employment, business expansion and housing provision is expected to be achieved between now and 2026. http://www.newanglia.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/New-Anglia-Strategic- Economic-Plan-V2.pdf 3.2.2 There are also areas allocated for employment development such as East of Stowmarket, Sudbury, Adastral Park, and Suffolk Business Park that would need roads and infrastructure and these together with the growth locations would rely on, and create a demand for, aggregate provision. 3.2.3 The Suffolk Local Transport Plan 2011 -2031 identifies significant highways works either planned or potentially programmed in Suffolk within the plan period. Such works would have an impact on the demand for local minerals and include such infrastructure schemes as Haverhill Northern Bypass and the completion of the Bury St. Edmunds Eastern Relief Road. http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/assets/suffolk.gov.uk/Environment%20and%20Transp ort/Planning/2011-07-06%20Suffolk%20Local%20Plan%20Part%201%20lr.pdf