Minerals & Waste
Oxfordshire County Council is currently preparing the Minerals and Waste Development Framework, to replace the existing Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan. The central part of the framework will be the Core Strategy, which will provide a strategy for where development should take place and key planning policies. Separate documents will be prepared subsequently to identify specific sites for mineral extraction and waste management facilities.
Minerals Strategy
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Current work is focused on a strategy for where new mineral workings that are needed over the plan period should be located. During 2010 OCC consulted key stakeholders, including CPRE Oxfordshire, on strategy options for where sand and gravel, soft sand and crushed rock could be worked over the period to 2030. A sustainability appraisal of the options has been carried out. The reports from the consultation workshops and sustainability appraisal can be downloaded from the OCC website.
OCC were intending to consult on a preferred minerals strategy during autumn 2010. However in July 2010, the Government revoked Regional Spatial Strategies, including the South East Plan, which set the amounts of mineral supply that each county should plan for (the apportionment). At the same time, guidance was issued that mineral planning authorities in the South East should work from the apportionment set out in the March 2010 "Proposed Changes" to the revision of South East Plan Policy M3.
The figures for Oxfordshire are 2.1 million tonnes a year for sand and gravel and 0.66 million tonnes a year for crushed rock. But the guidance also states that 'planning authorities can choose to use alternative figures for their planning purposes if they have new or different information and a robust evidence base'.
The County Council has since rejected a level of 2.1 million tonnes a year for sand and gravel as being unnecessary and inappropriate. CPRE Oxfordshire and local campaign groups, who have long argued that the figure for the county was too high welcomed this announcement.
OCC commissioned Atkins, a team of consultants, to undertake a local assessment of aggregates supply requirements for Oxfordshire based on robust evidence, supported by CPRE Oxfordshire and local campaign groups. This covered sand and gravel, crushed rock and secondary and recycled aggregates, and took into account movements of minerals into and out of the county. The study was completed in May 2011. OCC decided to postpone consultation on its preferred minerals strategy so that it could be informed by the assessment of need.
On 19 October 2010, the County Council's Cabinet agreed an interim preferred strategy approach (PDF) for mineral working in the short to medium term. For sand and gravel this is to concentrate working at existing areas of working, at Lower Windrush Valley, Eynsham / Cassington / Yarnton, Radley, Sutton Courtenay and Caversham; but this is subject to the ability of these areas to provide for the medium to longer term being re-assessed when the requirement for sand and gravel supply has been established. New areas of working will be considered if the re-assessment indicates this is necessary. For soft sand and crushed rock, the approach is based on the existing areas of working: soft sand – south east of Faringdon, Tubney / March / Hinton Waldrist, and Duns Tew; crushed rock – north of Bicester to the east of the River Cherwell, south of the A40 near Burford, and south east of Faringdon.
In September 2011 OCC opened consultations on a draft Minerals Planning Strategy and a draft Waste Planning Strategy. The period for consultation ended on 31 October 2011. CPRE Oxforshire responded to the consultation.
In its response CPRE Oxfordshire said Oxfordshire County Council’s targets for extracting minerals were unnecessarily high. CPRE Oxfordshire has called on the County to look again at the amount of sand and gravel to be extracted.
Waste Strategy
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Artist's impression of proposed Ardley incinerator
On 25 October 2010, the County Council's Planning and Regulation Committee granted planning permission to Viridor for an energy from waste incinerator at Ardley near Bicester.
CPRE Oxfordshire objected to the planning application on the grounds that the proposed building and chimneystack would cause harm to the character and appearance of the local countryside and is contrary to Cherwell District Council's Local Plan. Indeed these were the very same grounds upon which OCC rejected Viridor's original application at the same site.
This time around Viridor agreed to dismantle the building and restore the site at the end of 35 years, thus turning it into a 'temporary' rather than a 'permanent' facility. While this word play seems to have won over County Councillors, we believe this decision has seriously undermined the overall integrity of Oxfordshire's rural landscape and we will continue to call on the OCC to reconsider its policy on waste management, to recognise that incineration is not necessary, and to find more environmentally acceptable ways of reducing residual waste and avoiding landfill in the county.
The incinerator will handle all of Oxfordshire's residual municipal waste (waste that cannot be recycled or composted) and much of the residual commercial and industrial waste. This major waste management facility will be a key element in the spatial strategy for the management of Oxfordshire's waste over the period to 2030, and beyond.
This decision came just a few months after a Public Inquiry into Viridor's original planning application for an incinerator at Ardley concluded (on 28 July). The Planning Inspector's report is not expected until late in 2010 and the Secretary of State will not make a decision until December at the earliest. There will then be an opportunity in the New Year to challenge the decision.
CPRE Oxfordshire made a statement at the Public Inquiry, outlining its concerns about the proposed incinerator. Oxfordshire County Council decided to sign a multimillion-pound contract with Viridor for the incinerator before planning permission was granted.
Campaign group, Ardley Against Incinerator (AAI), opposed to the incincerator urged the County Council to wait until a decision over planning permission was made. But councillors backed a recommendation from officers to sign the 25-year contract with Viridor. The contract is due to be signed shortly.
OCC will now be drawing up and assessing the options for a strategy for where other waste management facilities that will be required in Oxfordshire should be located, and it carried out a public consultation on a preferred strategy in 2011. As part of this work it intends to prepare and consult on an assessment of the need for waste management facilities.
A Mechanical Biological Treatment plant for Sutton Courtenay?
Having failed in its bid to build an incinerator in Sutton Courtenay, near Didcot, Waste Recycling Group made a speculative application to build a £20m Mechanical & Biological Treatment (MBT) plant for 220,000 tonnes of waste at the landfill site between Didcot and Abingdon.
The plans were met with opposition by local campaign group, Sutton Courtenay Against Incinerator (SCAI), who believe such a scheme has no place in Sutton Courtenay. CPRE Vale of White Horse District also raised objections, in October 2010, (PDF) about the impact that the building will have on the local countryside.
Waste Recycling Group’s application to build a Mechanical Biological Treatment plant on Sutton Courtenay Landfill Site, was subsequently amended and CPRE Vale of White Horse District objected to the amended application.
See: CPRE Vale letter of objection (July 2011) (PDF)
On September 12th, 2011, the OCC Planning Committee rejected WRG's amended application, with members voting 9-4 against the proposed MBT plant at Sutton Courtenay.
CPRE Oxfordshire's Campaign Manager, Helena Whall said: "We are delighted at this decision. The proposed MBT plant would have urbanised this open and rural part of Oxfordshire and we urge WRG not to appeal against the decision."
Minerals and Waste Core Strategy timetable
In September 2011 OCC opened consultations on a draft Minerals Planning Strategy and a draft Waste Planning Strategy. The period for consultation ended on 31 October 2011. All the comments OCC receive on these consultations will be taken into consideration in the preparation of the next stage of the Core Strategy. OCC currently intend to publish a document for public comment and subsequent submission to the Government as early as possible in 2012. An independent examination of the plan will then be held by a Government appointed Inspector before a final plan is adopted.
Find Out More
Below are a list of links to further information regarding this campaign: