Minerals & Waste Development Framework

MINERALS & WASTE DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK

ANNUAL MONITORING REPORT

1st April 2004 – 31st March 2005

If you have any comments on this Annual Monitoring Report please contact:

Julie Reeve

Team Leader: Minerals and Waste Policy

CountyDevelopment Unit

Environment Department

County Hall

Hertford

Herts SG13 8DN

Tel 01992 556227

Fax 01992 556202

e-mail:

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TABLE OF CONTENTSPage

Executive Summary 4

1.0 Introduction 6

1.1 Structure of the Annual Monitoring Report 7

2.0 Saved Plan 7

2.1 Waste Local Plan 8

2.2 Minerals Local Plan 8

2.3 Structure Plan 8

2.4 Community Strategy 8

2.5 Minerals and Waste Development Scheme 9

2.6 Regional Spatial Strategy 9

3.0 Minerals and Waste Development Scheme 9

3.1Waste Core Strategy, Site Allocations and Development Control

Policies 10

3.2 Minerals Local Plan Key Milestones 11

3.3 Statement of Community Involvement 12

4.0 Policy Use in Development Control For

Minerals and Waste Development 13

4.1 Minerals Development Control Decisions 13

4.2 Waste Development Control Decisions 13

5.0 Planning Applications14

6.0 Aggregate Monitoring 14

6.1 Planning Permissions Granted14 6.2 Problems obtaining this data 15

7.0 Waste Monitoring15

8.0 Gap Analysis 16

8.1 Primary Functions of the GAP Analysis16

8.2 Secondary Issues 17

8.3 Gap Analysis Contextual Characters, Issues and Challenges 18

Appendices

Appendix 1 – Policy Status from Waste Local Plan 1995–2005

(Adopted January 1999) as at 200421

Appendix 2 - Saved Policies from the Adopted Minerals and Waste

Local Plans and Structure Plan policies of particular relevance

to minerals and waste development23

Appendix 3 – Minerals Applications, Outcomes and Policies used25

Appendix 4 – Waste Applications, Outcomes and Policies used27

Appendix 5 – Baseline Arisings Data for the Region by County29

Appendix 6- Annual Monitoring Framework – as at 31st March 2005 31

Appendix 7 – Progress on the Minerals and Waste Development

Framework 1st April 2005 – 31st December 200532

Appendix 8 - Hertfordshire County Council: Minerals and Waste

Development Framework Programme 200533

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In the year 2004 there was a fundamental review of the Planning procedures that brought about the introduction of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act. This Act introduced Minerals and Waste Development Framework (MWDF), Minerals and Waste Development Plan Documents (DPDs), Statements of Community Involvement (SCI) and the Annual Monitoring Report (AMR).

In March 2004, Hertfordshire County Council produced its own Minerals and Waste Development Scheme. The Minerals and Waste Development Scheme identified the key milestones for the production of the new planning documents contained within the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act.

Purpose of the report

The Annual Monitoring Report is the way that the Council can show whether or not it is meeting the targets contained within the Minerals and Waste Development Scheme and if these targets are not being met what plans have been put in place to ensure that the timetables of these documents will be met.

It is also a requirement of the Annual Monitoring Report that policies are monitored in respect of national, regional targets and local targets and these are reported on in this report. Together with these targets policies have to be monitored to "assess any significant effects implementation of the policies is having on social, environmental and economic objectives by which sustainability is defined and whether these effects are as intended", (Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) - FAQ's and Seminar Feedback on Emerging Best Practice 2004/05, ODPM, London, 2005)

This Annual Monitoring Report covers the time period of 1st April 2004 to 31st March 2005, but it should be noted that the enactment of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act did not take place until September 2004 (although the data presented in this report covers the full time period and details are shown in Appendix 7 and Appendix 8 ).

Hertfordshire's environment and issues

Hertfordshire has a high quality environment, including attractive countryside and thriving towns. Historic buildings and landscapes make a significant contribution to the special character of Hertfordshire and contribute to a rich and varied cultural heritage, which benefits residents and visitors alike.

Nearly two thirds of the Hertfordshire land area is designated as Green Belt. Some of the key natural features include the Chiltern Hills to the west and north west, designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

However, both the natural environment and the built environment are subject to pressures, particularly from development and congestion linked to increased levels of traffic. The planned extension of Stansted and LutonAirports could also have significant effects on Hertfordshire. Parts of the east of the county fall within the Government’s London-Stansted-Cambridge-Peterborough Corridor Growth Area. Proposals for additional development around Luton and Dustable could affect North Hertfordshire. The East of England’s plans for housing development in the next two decades represents a significant challenge to the unique quality of Hertfordshire. It is estimated that as many as 49,000 new homes will be needed in Hertfordshire between 2001 and 2016, and provisionally another 72,000 new homes due to growth plans. As much as 70% of this growth will be in single person households.

Implications of these characteristics and trends for waste management and mineral extraction include:

• pressures for housing and infrastructure;
• consequential generation of construction and demolition waste;
• increase in demand for aggregates
• increases in household waste – particularly with the rise in single households and overall increase in household numbers; and
• increases in commercial and industrial waste.
• significant policy shifts towards greater minimisation, recovery and recycling of waste;
• landfill space is running out;
• new government legislation and EU directives;
• rapidly increasing costs of waste management; and
• increasing public expectations.

The county’s road and rail networks are heavily influenced by long distance through-traffic, with large volumes of through movements on roads including the M1, A1(M) and M25, and the East Coast, Midland and West Coast Main Line railway routes. Passengers and employees travelling to and from the two major airports just outside of the county’s borders (Stansted and London Luton) and Heathrow provide an additional strain, in particular for Hertfordshire’s radial road and rail network. A lack of east-west links in northern Hertfordshire and increasing airport passenger numbers will push Hertfordshire’s transport network to its limits.

This complexity has significant implications for waste management and mineral extraction, and the feasibility of site selection. Both industries need access to well connected transport networks, for both collection and disposal of waste, transportation of minerals to processing plants and then onto customers which is complicated by the various development pressures outlined above.

Documents to be produced

1. Minerals and Waste Development Scheme

This was submitted to the Secretary of State on 28 March 2005 and work has begun on the Statement of Community Involvement, the Waste DPDs, Core Strategy and the Waste Site Specific Allocations and Development Control Policies DPD's. There has been no slippage to the agreed timetable.

2. Draft Statement of Community Involvement

This document has been subject to a period of informal consultation as part of the Scoping Process and it is progressing according to the MWD Scheme. There has been no slippage to the agreed timetable.

3. Waste Core Strategy

Progress has continued on this document and work has concentrated on the assimilation of a robust evidence base for the Issues and Options consultation. This consultation will be reported on within future Annual Monitoring Reports. There has been no slippage in the agreed timetable.

4. Waste Site Specific Allocations and Development Policies DPD

Progress has continued on this document and work has concentrated on the assimilation of a robust evidence base for the Issues and Options consultation. This consultation will be reported on within future Annual Monitoring Reports. There has been no slippage in the agreed timetable.

Monitoring of Planning Application Policies

A breakdown of the policies used in determining planning applications is included in this report together with a description of the purpose of the policy. This information will go towards creating an evidence base that will be used to assess the effectiveness/relevance of policies in the production of future development plan documents.

1.0Introduction

The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act (2004) was granted Royal Assent in May 2004. The Act has resulted in major changes in the planning system. Structure Plans and Local Plans will eventually be abolished and local plans will be replaced by Local Development Frameworks (LDF). Hertfordshire County Council will retain responsibility for the Minerals and Waste Planning in their area and will therefore be reviewing their policies and producing a Minerals and Waste Development Framework in line with the Act.

Monitoring and reviewing of plans and policies is an integral part of the new Act and requires every local authority to produce an annual monitoring report. The Annual Monitoring Reports need to contain information on the implementation of the Minerals and Waste Development Scheme and the extent to which the policies set out in the development documents are being achieved. All Annual Monitoring Reports have to be submitted to the Secretary of State so that performance can be measured and Planning Delivery Grant assessed for the future year.

The Annual Monitoring Report will provide robust information and a comprehensive evidence base which will assist in the formation and successful delivery of future Minerals and Waste Development Documents.

1.1 Structure of the Annual Monitoring Report

Within this Annual Monitoring Report the following issues will be considered:

• The statutory Development Plans and their replacement through the Framework.

• Are the milestones set out within the Hertfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Scheme being met? If not why not?

• Core indicators for minerals and waste

• Problems that need to be addressed before the next Annual Monitoring Report.

2.0 Saved Plans

The new development plan system will continue to ensure that proposed development is in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. However, the new system cannot happen overnight and so there are various transitional arrangements to ensure that development takes place in accordance with development plan policy until such time as the new policy documents have been approved.

The Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for the East of England – RSS 14 – was released for consultation on 8 December 2004 and comments were sought up to 16 March 2005[1]. In order to ensure that there are still strategic policies for the county, existing Structure Plan policies will be “saved” for a three year period to September 2007 or until such time as the RSS is adopted (whichever is the sooner).

New local development plan documents, including minerals and waste development documents, must be in general conformity with the RSS. As an interim measure, the existing Regional Planning Guidance for East of England (RPG 9 and RPG 14) has become the RSS for the region until it is formally replaced by the new RSS 14.

Similarly, all adopted local plan policies (both those in district local plans and in the Minerals and Waste Local Plans) will be “saved” for three years or until the new Development Plan documents are produced.

For a full listing of those policies relating to minerals and waste to be saved, please refer to Appendix 1 and Table 5.

2.1 Waste Local Plan

The existing waste policies will be replaced by the new policies outlined in the Waste Development Plan Documents, currently in preparation. A summary of existing policies is provided in Appendix 1 for use in preparation of the new Waste Development Plan Documents. It is a requirement that for each of these policies the status be noted, i.e. whether it is intended that the policy be replaced, deleted or merged. This list will be updated throughout preparation of the new Waste Development Plan Documents.

For the moment, however, each of these policies is ‘saved’, at least until September 2007. Indicators will be identified and these will be reported in future Annual Monitoring Reports. Examples of indicators include Sustainable Development, Environmental Improvement, Waste Minimisation, and levels of production/levels of recycling.

2.2Minerals Local Plan

The existing / current saved minerals policies will be replaced by the minerals local plan review policies once adopted (following receipt of the Inspectors Report and Further Modifications Process), and those policies will be saved for three years from

adoption. It is a requirement that for each of these policies the status be noted, i.e. whether it is intended that the policy be replaced, deleted or merged. A minerals policy status list will be updated throughout preparation of the new Minerals Development Plan Documents and this will be reported in future Annual Monitoring Reports. For the moment, however, each of the existing policies are ‘saved’, at least until September 2007.

Once the Minerals Local Plan has been adopted indicators will be identified and these will be reported in future Annual Monitoring Reports. Examples of indicators include Sustainable Development, Environmental Improvement, Waste Minimisation, and levels of production/levels of recycling. (See Appendix 2)

2.3 Structure Plan

For development control purposes the County Council has identified those policies of particular relevance to minerals and waste development in the Structure Plan Review 1991-2011 Adopted April 1998, as set out in Appendix 2, whichever is the earlier.

2.4 Community Strategy

Since the objective of sustainable development for is the local development framework and community strategies there should be some common baseline and monitoring requirements. One Government study recommended that both community strategies and local development frameworks should have collective targets and indicators where possible and appropriate. Such indicators for future AMRs will be developed.

2.5 Minerals and Waste Development Scheme

This is prepared in consultation with Government Offices for the East Region (Go East). It is a project plan and timetable for preparing Minerals and Waste Development Plans Documents. It will enable anybody to see what the County Council is to produce and when.

This can be monitored by checking the Minerals and Waste Development Scheme to see whether the dates/publication of Plan documents corresponds to the published dates of the Scheme. (See Appendix 7).

2.6 Regional Spatial Strategy

Regional Spatial Strategies set out the Governments planning and transport policy for each region for a 15-20 year period. The strategies provide frameworks for determining planning applications, as well as for planning both Local Development Documents and Local Transport Plans.

The Regional Spatial Strategy for the East of England is known as the East of England Plan. The Public Inquiry into the East of England Plan has been deferred from September - November 2005 until November 05 - March 06. This has therefore affected the publication of the Panel Report following the Examination In Public. (due autumn 2006).

3.0 Minerals and Waste Development Scheme

Hertfordshire's Minerals and Waste Development Framework Scheme (MWDFS) was published on 28 March 2005. The MWDFS sets out the detailed timetable for the preparation of the Minerals and Waste Development Documents that make up the Minerals and Waste Development Framework. It also highlights when stakeholders and the public can be involved in the production of each document.

Details of the Scheme can be seen in Appendix 9.

The following tables set out the documents we plan on producing and whether they are on course to meet the milestones set out in the scheme.

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3.1WasteCore Strategy, Site Allocations and Development Control Policies

Core Strategy

Site Allocations

For the year 1st April 2004 - 31st March 2005 there was no deviation from the approved timetable.

3.2 Minerals Local Plan Key Milestones

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3.3 Statement of Community Involvement

For the year 1st April 2004 - 31st March 2005 there was no deviation from the approved timetable.