SWAWP South West Aggregates Working Party Annual Report: 2013 Bath and North East Somerset • Bristol • Bournemouth Cornwall • Dartmoor NP • Devon • Dorset • Exmoor NP Gloucestershire • Isles of Scilly • North Somerset • Plymouth • Poole • Somerset South Gloucestershire • Swindon • Torbay and Wiltshire SOUTH WEST AGGREGATES WORKING PARTY Annual Report: 2013 Chairman: Paula Hewitt BSc (Hons) MCD MRTPI Lead Commissioner, Economic and Community Infrastructure Somerset County Council County Hall Taunton Somerset TA1 4DY Tel: (01823) 356020 e mail: [email protected] Secretary: Philip M Hale BSc (Hons) FIQ Abbey Farm Eastermead Lane Banwell North Somerset BS29 6PD Tel: (01934) 820451 Fax: (01934) 820451 e mail: [email protected] Enquiries concerning the purchase of this or other SWAWP publications listed in this report should be addressed to the Secretary of the Working Party. 2 SOUTH WEST AGGREGATES WORKING PARTY Annual Report: 2013 Contents Page No EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 Introduction 5 2 National and Sub National Minerals Planning 7 3 Local Aggregates Assessments 9 4 Production and Landbanks for Primary Aggregates (Crushed Rock and land won and marine dredged Sand and Gravel) 12 5 Secondary and Recycled Aggregates 27 6 Significant Trends and Events (by Mineral Planning Authority) 28 7 Progress on Mineral Development Plans 31 Tables (NB Figures may not balance exactly due to rounding) Table 1 National and Sub National Guidelines for Aggregates Provision in England (2005 - 2020) 7 Table 2 Sub National Apportionment of the 2009 Aggregates Guidelines (2005 – 2020) 8 Table 3 Local Aggregates Assessments and Provision as at May 2014 11 Table 4 Production of Primary Aggregates 2012 and 2013 14 Table 5 Monitor of Decisions on Planning Applications 2013 21 Table 6 Landbank Analysis – 31 December 2012 22 Table 7 Landbank Analysis – 31 December 2013 23 Table 8 Estimated production of recycled aggregates from fixed recycling sites 2013 27 Figures Figure 1 Crushed Rock Aggregates Production in the South West 1994-2013 15 Figure 2 Land Won Sand and Gravel Production in the South West 1994-2013 15 Figure 3 Crushed Rock Aggregates Production by MPA 1994-2013 16 Figure 4 Land Won Sand and Gravel Production by MPA 1994-2013 16 Figure 5 Dredged Sand and Gravel Landings in the South West 2000 - 2013 17 Figure 6 Total Aggregate Reserves in the South West 1996-2013 18 Figure 7 Crushed Rock Reserves by MPA 1996-2013 18 Figure 8 Land Won Sand and Gravel Reserves by MPA 1996-2013 19 Maps Map 1. Bristol Channel Licensed Dredging Areas as at February 2014 24 Map 2. South Coast Licensed Dredging Areas as at February 2014 25 Map 3. Owers Bank Licensed Dredging Areas as at February 2014 26 Map 4. Active and Inactive Primary and Secondary Aggregates Sites 2013 51 Appendices Appendix 1. Membership of the Working Party 38 Appendix 2. SWAWP Publications 39 Appendix 3. Active and Inactive Primary and Secondary Aggregates Sites 2013 40 Appendix 4. Recycled Aggregates Sites 2013 48 3 SOUTH WEST AGGREGATES WORKING PARTY Annual Report: 2013 Executive Summary This Annual Report for 2013 has been prepared by the South West Aggregates Working Party (SWAWP), previously known as the South West Regional Aggregates Working Party (SWRAWP). As for earlier reports it contains details of land won primary aggregates production and permitted reserves and of marine dredged aggregates landings and resources. Other information on secondary and recycled aggregates and events of interest is also provided along with information on planning decisions and progress on Development Plan Documents. In order to provide an indication of trends, this Annual Report compares data for 2013 with data for earlier years. In June 2009 the Department for Communities and Local Government published a revised set of National and Regional Guidelines for the Provision of Aggregates in England 2005-2020, now called National and Sub National Guidelines, and these are referred to in this report where appropriate. The National Planning Policy Framework (March 2012) and later guidance on the Managed Aggregates Supply System (October 2012) indicates that the guideline amounts are to be taken into account by Mineral Planning Authorities when planning for the future demand for and supply of aggregates but in planning for a steady and adequate supply of aggregates, MPAs are to prepare an annual Local Aggregates Assessment either individually or, if appropriate, with other MPAs. The guidelines amounts are to be used only to provide an indication of the total amount of aggregate provision that the MPAs, collectively within each Aggregate Working Party, should aim to provide. The Guidelines will also provide individual MPAs where they are having difficulty in obtaining data, with some understanding or context of the overall demand and possible sources that might be available in their Working Party area. Crushed Rock Production (sales) of crushed rock aggregates (limestone, igneous rock and sandstone) was 17.89mt in 2013, a very slight increase on 2012 (17.34mt) and the same as production in 2011. Somerset continues to be the main production area with about 56% of sales. Permitted reserves in the region in 2013 amounted to about 905mt at active and inactive sites. This represented a landbank of about 51 years’ production when based on the average of three years production (2011-2013) but only 46 years when based on the average of 10 years’ production 2004-1013. The SWAWP report for 2010 recorded a dormant sites reserve of 306mt; this amount remains valid for 2013. All crushed rock producing MPAs except Gloucestershire had a substantial landbank of permitted reserves (>30 years) in 2013 when based on either the 3 or 10 year sales averages. Approximately 47% of the South West’s permitted reserves were held by sites in Somerset with the bulk of the remaining reserves being shared almost equally between the WoE, Cornwall and Devon. Land Won Sand and Gravel Production (sales) of land won sand and gravel was only 3.2mt in 2013, about the same as was recorded in 2012. Dorset continues to be the main production area and in 2013 accounted for 50% of sales. Permitted reserves in the region were only 32.6mt in 2013, representing a fall of c15% on 2012 reserves and a landbank of just 10 years when based on the average of three years production (2011-2013) but only 8.6 years when based on the average of 10 years’ production 2004-2013. Approximately 50% of the South West’s reserves were held at sites in Dorset which had a landbank of about 14 years. Production in Wiltshire continues to be the lowest in the South West at only 0.43mt, just below Devon at 0.49mt, but the landbank in Wiltshire was the lowest in the region at less than 6 years when based on the 3 year sales average and just over 3 years when based on the average of 10 years’ sales. Marine Dredged Sand and Gravel In 2013, marine dredged landings in the region, mainly sand dredged from licensed areas in the Bristol Channel, amounted to 0.50mt, slightly lower than the 2012 landings of 0.52mt. Avonmouth in Bristol continued to be the main wharf where 0.34mt were landed. 4 SOUTH WEST AGGREGATES WORKING PARTY Annual Report: 2013 1.0 Introduction 1.1 This report is the latest in a series of Annual Reports that have been published by the Working Party since 1989. The report describes briefly the work undertaken by SWAWP in 2013 and presents quantitative information on the production of aggregates in the South West in that year; their reserves and the landbank of permitted reserves at the end of 2013. As for previous Annual Reports the report also includes information on mineral planning applications and mineral related matters in the South West. Production and reserves information was generally supplied by industry but in some instances estimates may have been made by the MPAs. 1.2 Information is generally presented in a similar format to that used in previous Annual Reports in order to facilitate comparison of statistical data, but where necessary figures are combined or excluded to avoid disclosure of confidential information. Although longstanding confidentiality restrictions were lifted by the then Quarry Products Association (QPA) towards the end of 1999 to facilitate the publication of much more data than previously reported and clarification of the way in which operators’ information can be used has since been issued by the association’s successor, the Mineral Products Association (MPA), not all companies belong to the MPA and therefore some information is still confidential. Moreover, some members of the MPA insist that their information should be treated as confidential. Confidential information is therefore annotated accordingly. Wherever possible, time series information is presented to provide an indication of trends. 1.3 Membership of SWAWP is shown in Appendix 1 of the report. The Working Party is one of 11 Aggregates Working Parties (AWPs) in England and Wales whose membership is drawn from MPAs; the aggregates industry, represented by the Mineral Products Association and the British Aggregates Association (BAA); the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG); the Department for Rural Affairs (DEFRA); the Environment Agency; the Kaolin and Ball Clay Association and the National Federation of Demolition Contractors (NFDC). Whilst each of the MPAs is a member of SWAWP and entitled to attend meetings not all of them do so, because of limited mineral interests, and arrangements have been made with the other member authorities to represent them as necessary. 1.4 Aggregates Working Parties were established by the then Department of the Environment in the early 1970’s to identify and consider likely problems in the supply of aggregate minerals. The work of the AWPs provides valuable input to the Managed Aggregates Supply System (MASS) that operates in England and Wales to maintain supplies of construction aggregates.