Staffordshire County Council Local Aggregate Assessment June 2015 Blank Page 2 Staffordshire County Council Local Aggregate Assessment June 2015 Contents Introduction to our Second Local Aggregate Assessment ................................ 5 Analysis of aggregate supply ............................................................................... 7 Provision of secondary/recycled aggregates .......................................................... 7 Provision of Aggregates from Sand and Gravel Reserves ...................................... 8 Provision of Aggregates from Crushed Rock Reserves ........................................ 11 Demand for aggregates....................................................................................... 14 Assessment of the balance between demand and supply ............................... 17 Appendix 1: Information relating to Aggregate Sales and Reserves, Quarries and Constraints and Plant using Aggregates ................................................... 20 Appendix 2: Other relevant local information relating to housing, employment land and major infrastructure ............................................................................. 32 3 Staffordshire County Council Local Aggregate Assessment June 2015 Blank Page 4 Staffordshire County Council Local Aggregate Assessment June 2015 Introduction to our Second Local Aggregate Assessment 1. The quarrying of aggregate minerals is the most significant minerals extraction in Staffordshire in terms of quantity. Aggregate minerals are produced mainly from deposits of sand and gravel across the county but also from limestone found in the Staffordshire Moorlands. The supply of aggregates within the county is supplemented by processing secondary aggregates such as ash from power stations and by recycling construction, demolition and excavation wastes as well as by “imports”, particularly crushed rock from the East Midlands. 2. Each Mineral Planning Authority is required to produce an annual Local Aggregate Assessment which provides an analysis of local aggregate supply, forecasted demand for aggregates, and an assessment of the balance between demand and supply. This report is based on sales and reserves data for 2013 surveyed on behalf of the West Midlands Aggregates Working Party (WMAWP). The report takes into account, the capacity available to produce recycled aggregate within the City of Stoke-on-Trent. The information found in this report is used in preparing our emerging Minerals Local Plan 5 Staffordshire County Council Local Aggregate Assessment June 2015 Figure 1 Aggregate Minerals in Staffordshire 2013 6 Staffordshire County Council Local Aggregate Assessment June 2015 Analysis of aggregate supply Provision of secondary/recycled aggregates 3. National policy requires Mineral Planning Authorities to take into account the contribution that secondary and recycled aggregates make to the supply of materials before considering extraction of primary materials1. 4. There is no local target for the production of secondary/ recycled aggregates in the Minerals Local Plan. The adopted Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Joint Waste Local Plan 2010 – 2026, however, set the following targets: • 70% of construction, demolition and excavation waste to be diverted from landfill by 2020/21; and, • A minimum of 200,000 tonnes per annum additional throughput capacity for recycling construction, demolition and excavation wastes to be provided by 2020/21. 5. In Staffordshire (including Stoke-on-Trent) there are 32 permitted waste recycling sites having capacity to produce aggregates from construction, demolition and excavation wastes with an estimated total available capacity of approximately 1,284,723 tonnes per annum. The location of these recycling sites can be found on the “Map Search” facility on the County Council’s website (also refer to table 9 in appendix 1). 6. Previous reports have highlighted the difficulty of monitoring the quantity of alternative aggregates (derived from processing industrial by-products or construction, demolition & excavation wastes) produced in Staffordshire. A survey on the production of alternative aggregates in 2013 carried out by the WMAWP indicated that at least 140,000 tonnes of recycled aggregate was produced in Staffordshire as well as aggregate produced from processing ash at Rugeley Power Station. This survey does not indicate the full extent of alternative aggregate produced in Staffordshire given that there is waste recycled at temporary recycling facilities associated with construction sites. 1 Refer to paragraph 143 of the National Planning Policy Framework. 7 Staffordshire County Council Local Aggregate Assessment June 2015 Provision of Aggregates from Sand and Gravel Reserves 7. Key findings from the monitoring of sales and reserves of sand and gravel in Staffordshire during 2013 are as follows: • Total sales for aggregate use were 4.09 million tonnes; • Sales of building sand (mortar/ asphalt) were 261,400 tonnes (6% of total sales); • Sales of sharp sand (concrete sand) were1,177,190 tonnes (29% of total sales); • Sales of gravel for coating and concrete were 1,371,155 tonnes (34% of total sales) • The 10 years average of sand and gravel sales was 4.956 million tonnes over the period 2004-2013; • The 3 years mean average of sand and gravel sales was 3.87 million tonnes over the period 2011 to 2013; • 18 out of 24 sites with permitted reserves were operational (refer to figure 1). • Permitted reserves (not including reserves associated with “dormant” sites) were 62.26 million tonnes as of 1 January 2014. • During 2013/14 permission was granted for a 11.5 hectare extension to Alrewas Quarry involving 600,000 tonnes of sand and gravel reserves. • No updated data is available on the destination of sales and the imports/ exports of sand and gravel2. 2 The most recent data was gathered as part of National Aggregate Minerals Survey 2009 and was reported in our first Local Aggregate Assessment. 8 Staffordshire County Council Local Aggregate Assessment June 2015 Figure 2: Sales and Reserves of Sand and gravel 2004 – 2013 Sales and Reserves of land-won sand & gravel in Staffordshire 2004-2013 8 120 7 100 6 80 5 4 60 3 Million tonnes Million 40 2 Reserves (million tonnes) 20 1 0 0 Sales (t) AWP data 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Total reserves Years (mt) Source: Annual Reports of the WMAWP3 8. Analysis of the above monitoring information indicates the following: • Sales trend: Sales in 2013 were increased by 400,000 tonnes compared with sales in 2012 but were 0.866 million tonnes less than the 10 years sales average for 2004 - 2013. The 10 years sales average for 2004 – 2013 is less than the 10 years sales average over the period 2003 to 2012. The latest 3 years sales average (2011 to 2013) is less than the 10 years sales average for 2004 to 2013 but is 0.11 million tonnes greater than the 3 years sales average for 2010 to 2012. • Reserves trend: Reserves as of 1 January 2014 are 4.72 million tonnes less than reserves as of 1 January 2013. Note that the reserves figure does not include: • Reserves associated with statutorily dormant sites; • Remaining reserves at Seisdon Quarry where there is an undetermined application to allow for the continued extraction of previously permitted reserves (ref: SS.13/17/627 M); 3 See Table 1 Staffordshire Sand and Gravel Sales and Reserves 2004-2013 9 Staffordshire County Council Local Aggregate Assessment June 2015 • 12.1 million tonnes of additional reserves at Newbold Quarry (ref: ES.12/03/501 MW) which were permitted in August 2014; and • 4 million tonnes of additional reserves at Alrewas Quarry (ref: L.14/03/817 MW) which were approved to be permitted in March 2015 subject to completion of a legal agreement • Landbank: The landbank as of 1 January 2014 was 12.6 years based on the 10 year sales average for 2004 - 2013 and was 11.5 years based on the level of provision proposed in the draft Minerals Local Plan i.e. 5.4 million tonnes per annum. Both assessments of the landbank exceed the minimum size of landbank for sand & gravel as required by national policy and do not indicate an immediate shortfall of reserves. • Production capacity: During 2013/14 an application was determined to allow for quarrying to continue at Hints (ref L.13/03/805-808 MW). Additional reserves were permitted at Alrewas Quarry (ref: L.13/07/817 MW) to allow for quarrying to continue up to 2015. Figure 3 indicates how productive capacity4 would deplete without additional reserves being permitted to maintain production.. Figure 3: Total productive capacity Production capacity for sand & gravel to 2030 7 6 Current permitted capacity 5 4 Current permitted capacity plus planning applications 3 Millioon tonnes 2 Current permitted capacity plus planning applications plus 1 potential extensions 0 10 year sales average 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 Year 4 The figures used in producing this table are based on output figures confirmed in planning applications and as part of evidence used for the Minerals Local Plan. These figures do not represent a maximum limit on potential production for the quarries and there is potential for the capacity to increase at existing sites. 10 Staffordshire County Council Local Aggregate Assessment June 2015 Source: SCC planning data • Planned allocations: Referring to saved proposal 5 of the current Minerals Local Plan, there are unimplemented allocations for the working of sand and gravel at