Essex Replacement Minerals Local Plan: Pre-Submission Draft Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment Environmental Report: Non Technical Summary November 2012 Environmental Report - Non-Technical Summary November 2012 Place Services at Essex County Council Environmental Report - Non-Technical Summary November 2012 Contents 1 Introduction and Methodology ........................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 The Replacement Minerals Local Plan: Pre-Submission Draft............................................ 1 1.3 Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment .................................... 1 1.4 The Aim and Structure of this Report .................................................................................. 2 2 Sustainability Context, Baseline and Objectives.............................................................. 3 2.1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Plans & Programmes .......................................................................................................... 3 2.3 Baseline Information / Key Sustainability Issues................................................................. 5 2.4 Sustainability Objectives ................................................................................................... 12 2.5 Appraisal of Policies .......................................................................................................... 13 3 Appraisal of Spatial Vision, Aims and Strategic Objectives.......................................... 15 3.1 Introduction........................................................................................................................ 15 3.2 The Spatial Vision ............................................................................................................. 15 3.3 Aims and Strategic Objectives .......................................................................................... 17 4 Appraisal of the Strategic Policies, ‘The Strategy’ and Strategic Priorities ................ 20 4.1 Introduction........................................................................................................................ 20 4.2 Policy S1 Presumption in Favour of Sustainable Development ........................................ 20 4.3 The Strategy and Policy S2 Strategic Priorities for Minerals Development....................... 21 4.4 Policy S3 Climate Change................................................................................................. 23 4.5 Policy S4 Reducing the Use of Mineral Resources........................................................... 24 4.6 Policy S5 Creating and Safeguarding a Network of Aggregate Recycling Facilities ......... 26 4.7 Policy S6 Provision for Sand and Gravel Extraction ......................................................... 28 4.8 Policy S7 Provision for Industrial Minerals ........................................................................ 29 4.9 Policy S8 Safeguarding Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves .................................. 31 4.10 Policy S9 Safeguarding Mineral Transhipment Sites and Secondary Processing Facilities32 4.11 Policy S10 Protecting and Enhancing the Environment and Local Amenity...................... 35 4.12 Policy S11 Access and Transport ..................................................................................... 37 4.13 Policy S12 Mineral Site Restoration and After Use ........................................................... 38 5 Appraisal of The Minerals Provision Figure.................................................................... 41 5.1 Introduction........................................................................................................................ 41 5.2 Sub National Aggregate ‘Apportionment’ .......................................................................... 41 5.3 Alternative Considered ...................................................................................................... 43 6 Preferred Minerals Sites for Primary Mineral Extraction ............................................... 46 6.1 Introduction........................................................................................................................ 46 6.2 Policy P1 Preferred Sites for Primary Sand and Gravel Extraction................................... 47 6.3 Policy P2 Preferred Sites for Industrial Minerals ............................................................... 54 Place Services at Essex County Council Environmental Report - Non-Technical Summary November 2012 7 Development Management Policies................................................................................. 56 7.1 Introduction........................................................................................................................ 56 7.2 Policy DM1 Development Management Criteria ............................................................... 56 7.3 Policy DM2 Planning Conditions and Legal Agreements .................................................. 58 7.4 Policy DM3 Primary Processing Plant............................................................................... 59 7.5 Policy DM4 Secondary Processing Plant .......................................................................... 60 8 Implementation, Monitoring and Review......................................................................... 62 8.1 Introduction........................................................................................................................ 62 8.2 Policy IMR1 Monitoring and Review.................................................................................. 62 9 Conclusions ....................................................................................................................... 64 9.1 The Vision ......................................................................................................................... 64 9.2 Aims and Objectives.......................................................................................................... 65 9.3 Strategy Policies................................................................................................................ 66 9.4 The Minerals Provision Figure........................................................................................... 69 9.5 Preferred Sites for Sand & Gravel..................................................................................... 71 9.6 Preferred Sites for Industrial Minerals ............................................................................... 75 9.7 Development Management Policies.................................................................................. 75 9.8 Implementation, Monitoring and Review Policy................................................................. 76 10 Monitoring and Next Steps ............................................................................................... 78 10.1 Monitoring.......................................................................................................................... 78 10.2 Next Steps......................................................................................................................... 78 List of Tables Table 1: The Environmental Report Requirements ...................................................................... 2 Table 2: Plans and Programmes .................................................................................................. 3 Table 3: SA/SEA Sustainability Framework of MLP ................................................................... 12 Table 4: Example of Appraisal Format ....................................................................................... 13 Table 5: Alternative ‘Non-Preferred’ Transhipment Sites in the County ..................................... 34 Table 6: Short-Medium Term Impacts of the Preferred Sites for Sand and Gravel in the North- Eastern Area of the County .......................................................................................... 47 Table 7: Long Term Impacts of the Preferred Sites for Sand and Gravel in the North-Eastern Area of the County ................................................................................................................ 48 Table 8: Alternative ‘Non-Preferred’ Sites for Primary Sand and Gravel Extraction in the North- Eastern Area of the County .......................................................................................... 49 Table 9: Short-Medium Term Impacts of the Preferred Sites for Sand and Gravel in the Central Area of the County........................................................................................................ 51 Table 10: Long Term Impacts of the Preferred Sites for Sand and Gravel in the Central Area of the County .......................................................................................................................... 52 Table 11: Alternative ‘Non-Preferred’ Sites for Primary Sand and Gravel Extraction in the Central Area of the County........................................................................................................ 53 Place Services at Essex County Council Environmental Report - Non-Technical