Minerals Local Plan.

3 Minerals Local Plan Strategy.

3.1 The strategy of the Minerals Local Plan derives from and develops the adopted Structure Plan  strategy in relation to mineral working.   This seeks both to protect the environment of the County, and to meet established needs for the mineral (paragraph 2.10).

3.2 Within the overall approach the Minerals Local Plan strategy has four aims:

• sustainability in relation to minerals planning;
• the provision of sufficient non-energy minerals to meet established need;
• the protection of mineral resources from unnecessary sterilisation;
• the protection of the environment from the adverse effects of extraction.

Sustainability.

3.3 Increased emphasis is being given at all levels of government to the need for sustainable development.  This has been defined as:
"development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".

3.4 The issue of sustainability is distinct from other environmental concerns in that it deals with the potential impact of current activity upon the future.  It embodies issues of global importance in seeking to sustain human and natural resources, and this needs to be reflected in action at all levels.

3.5 In relation to the Minerals Local Plan sustainable development has particular importance in the need to:

1. conserve minerals as far as possible whilst ensuring an adequate supply to meet the needs of society for minerals.  This means ensuring that resources are only extracted where they are required to meet an established need, that maximum use is made of alternative or recycled materials and that mineral resources  are not unnecessarily sterilised;
2. ensure that the environmental impacts caused by mineral operations and the transport of minerals are kept, as far as possible, to an acceptable minimum;
3. minimise production of waste and to encourage efficient use of materials, including appropriate use of high quality materials and recycling of wastes;
4. encourage sensitive working, restoration and aftercare practices so as to preserve or enhance the overall quality of the environment;
5. protect areas of designated landscape or nature conservation value from development, other than in exceptional circumstances and where it has been demonstrated that development is in the public interest.  County Durham has seen extensive past mineral working, particularly in the area covered by the exposed coalfield, which has led to the loss of considerable areas whose characteristic landscape pattern has developed over several centuries.  Within an overall approach of conserving and enhancing the wider environment it is necessary that important features are protected wherever possible for the benefit of future generations;
6. prevent the unnecessary sterilisation of mineral resources.

3.6 The aim of sustainable development is central to the Minerals Local Plan, and underlies its policies throughout.  Separate objectives are therefore not defined, its needs being implicit in those for both resource provision and protection, and environmental protection.

Provision of Minerals.

3.7 The provision of adequate resources to meet needs over the Plan period is important in order to ensure a sufficient supply of minerals to meet the needs of the economy.  Although the number of jobs provided directly by mineral extraction in County Durham as a whole is now relatively small, the supply of minerals is vital in providing the raw materials for a range of industrial and construction processes.  The Minerals Local Plan assesses the need for additional mineral resources to meet requirements throughout the Plan period and, wherever possible, identifies locations where extraction may take place, subject to suitable environmental safeguards.

3.8 For aggregate minerals national policy guidance, set out in MPG 6 and translated into sub-regional apportionments by the Regional Aggregates Working Party, provides the basis for assessing local provision.  For non-aggregate minerals, although specific national guidance is not generally provided (other than in the case of limestone for cement manufacture in MPG 10), appropriate landbanks are specified in Policy M 1.  For energy minerals,  MPG 3  indicates that landbanks are not considered appropriate: it is for individual operators to determine the level of output they wish to aim for and the Mineral Planning Authority to determine the acceptability of individual projects in accordance with the land use planning system whilst having regard to all material considerations.

3.9 Mineral extraction also contributes directly to the local economy through the provision of jobs and the purchase of supplies and services.  Although wider economic factors are most likely to determine the total level of employment in minerals the Minerals Local Plan does seek to assist in retaining current employment, where this can be achieved consistent with the overall aims of resource conservation and environmental protection.

3.10 The Minerals Local Plan has the following objectives in relation to the provision of minerals:

1. to identify any requirement for additional mineral resources to be made available for extraction  over the Plan period;
2. to identify areas where extraction could take place, subject to environmental safeguards;
3. to assist in retaining employment, where this can be achieved consistent with resource conservation and environmental protection.

Protection of Resources.

3.11 Protecting mineral resources to meet future needs has implications in terms of both avoiding the sterilisation of minerals and also in influencing the way they are used.  Identified resources need to be protected from sterilisation by other development so that the scope for meeting the minerals needs of future generations is maintained.  It is also important that levels of new approvals are managed to ensure that rates of extraction do not exceed established needs and that high grade minerals are not used for purposes which do not require these particular qualities.  This will ensure that identified resources are not unnecessarily depleted and will assist in limiting the overall impact of working on the County.  Maximising the use of secondary or recycled materials will also assist in achieving this aim by reducing the need for new working and helping to minimise the use of non-renewable resources.

3.12 The Minerals Local Plan has the following objectives in relation to the protection of mineral resources:

1. to safeguard deposits of potential economic importance from sterilisation by other forms of development;
2. to minimise the use of non-renewable mineral resources;
3. to ensure the efficient use of resources.

Environmental Protection.

3.13 Mineral extraction is a potentially intrusive activity which, if not properly controlled, can have severe detrimental impacts upon affected areas.  The Minerals Local Plan needs to consider environmental impacts in their widest sense and to ensure that the overall effects of proposals, either singly or cumulatively, are acceptable at all levels.  This applies to all types of minerals production, including that from secondary or recycled sources.  Where appropriate, planning applications will need to be accompanied by a formal Environmental  Impact Assessment as required under the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations 1999.

3.14 The aim of environmental protection covers four main areas:

• the protection of local amenity;
• enhancing the attractiveness of the County as a location for investment;
• the protection of the natural and man-made environment;
• ensuring the effective and appropriate reclamation of mineral sites upon cessation of working.

3.15 Ensuring that local communities are effectively protected from unacceptable adverse impacts of mineral working is essential if the quality of life for local residents and the vitality of areas is to be maintained.  Noise, dust, traffic, visual intrusion and other impacts can all have a disruptive effect on the life of communities.  Any such impacts should be minimised and kept, either individually or cumulatively, to an acceptable level (it should however be noted that the land use planning system is only able to deal with the land use impacts of pollution: the control of pollution in itself is the responsibility of the relevant agencies, in particular the Environment Agency).  Controlling the impacts arising from mineral working will also be important to secure the future of the minerals industry by making continued extraction more acceptable and reducing public opposition to new proposals.

3.16 It is important to ensure that public safety is taken into account when considering the impacts of mineral workings.  Government guidance indicates that conditions should not be imposed to secure the safe enclosure of quarries.  However, fencing and other precautionary measures necessary in the interests of public safety are dealt with in the Mines and Quarries Act 1954 and for excavations close to the highway, Section 165 of the Highways Act 1980 and Section 25 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976.

3.17 County Durham enjoys a rich natural and cultural heritage which needs to be safeguarded for the enjoyment of future generations.  This requires the identification and protection of areas and features of international, national, regional or County-wide importance which are an irreplaceable resource.  It also requires measures to protect the quality of the wider environment, through the overall conservation of the general character and diversity of the landscape, cultural heritage and ecology, and measures to protect more fundamental elements of the wider environment such as air and water quality.  In some circumstances mineral working can bring about environmental improvements or other benefits to the community which may offset other impacts and it will be important to ensure that such mitigation is secured.  In any such cases a genuine balance of environmental resources should be achieved through appropriate compensatory measures which maintain and, wherever possible, improve the quality and quantity of the environmental resources.

3.18 The approach taken by the Minerals Local Plan to the protection of the natural and built environment is therefore one that seeks to:

1. protect those natural and cultural resources that are considered vitally important and irreplaceable; and
2. conserve the overall character and quality of the wider natural and cultural environment.

3.19 In addition to the irreplaceable natural and cultural resources highlighted above, mineral extraction will also have impacts on other non-renewable, non-mineral resources, for example fuel used in extraction, processing and transport, and agricultural land.  Although often inevitable to some extent the Plan should, wherever possible, seek to ensure that use of such resources is minimised.

3.20 The comprehensive and prompt reclamation of mineral workings upon their cessation is an important element in minimising their adverse effects.  Proposals for restoration and after-use need to be seen as an integral part of any mineral development and should, wherever possible, provide positive benefits to the local community or the wider environment. 

3.21 The Minerals Local Plan has the following objectives in relation to environmental protection:

1. to avoid the unnecessary pollution of land, air and water, and to further minimise that pollution wherever possible;
2. to minimise the use of non-renewable resources;
3. to protect communities from unacceptable adverse effects of mineral extraction and related activities;
4. to protect and enhance the attractiveness of the County as a location for investment;
5. to protect important landscapes and landscape features;
6. to protect and enhance important ecological, geological and geomorphological sites;
7. to conserve and enhance the character of the landscape;
8. to conserve and enhance the ecological value of the wider environment;
9. to protect sites,  buildings and areas of architectural, historic or archaeological importance;
10. to minimise the adverse impact of extraction through agreed working practices and effective restoration schemes;
11. to seek the highest practical standard of reclamation and the positive after use of mineral workings.

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