Minerals and Waste Local Plan - Preferred Options

The consultation on our Preferred Options Minerals and Waste Local Plan has now closed.

We have now prepared a  Response Report [1Mb] to the Preferred Options consultation. This report summarises the key issues and comments made as part of the consultation along with our response to those comments.

The Minerals and Waste Local Plan  Preferred Options [9Mb] sets out our proposed policies to guide minerals and waste development in the future and our preferred sites for mineral extraction.

We asked for your comments on the soundness of the proposals within the Local Plan. To be sound, the Minerals and Waste Local Plan should be:

• Positively Prepared - the plan should be prepared based on a strategy which seeks to meet objectively assessed development and infrastructure requirements
• Justified - the plan should be the most appropriate strategy, when considered against the reasonable alternatives, based on proportionate evidence
• Effective - the plan should be deliverable over its period and based on effective working on cross-boundary strategic priorities
• Consistent with national policy - the plan should enable the delivery of sustainable development in accordance with the policies of the NPPF

Supporting Documents

• A  Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment (SA/SEA) Environmental Report [560kb],  SA/SEA Appendices [7Mb] is required to accompany the Proposed Submission Minerals and Waste local Plan DPD by the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). It makes sure that sustainability issues are considered during the preparation of the DPD. The SA/SEA also includes details of the site selection process, with information on all the sites considered as part of the development of the DPD.
• The  Statement of Consultation [2Mb] is a statutory submission document for the Proposed Submission Minerals and Waste Local Plan DPD under Regulation 22 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012. It sets out who and how we have consulted on the emerging DPD.
• The  HRA Screening [1Mb] makes sure that the DPD will not cause harm to internationally important nature conservation sites. 
• The  Equality Impact Assessment [509kb] is used to understand what effect our decisions will have on people with different needs. It allows us to minimise any possible disadvantages that might result from our decisions, whilst being sure that we still achieve our aims.
•  Glossary (May 2017) [731kb] This sets out a list of terminology used in the Minerals and Waste Local Plan (Preferred Options) and supporting documents.

Evidence Base

The plan is supported by a number of evidence base documents:

• The Local Aggregates Assessment (LAA) & Authority Monitoring Report (AMR) monitor progress of the production of documents associated with minerals and waste planning in the Local Development Scheme (LDS), and the performance of policies within the Minerals and Waste Local Plan (once adopted).
• The  Local Waste Assessment [3Mb] provides an assessment of the need for the provision of waste infrastructure and activities in the authority over the plan period.
• The  Minerals Evidence Base [1Mb] sets out the aggregate demands placed upon primary minerals in the district and considers the need for the provision of an appropriate aggregate mineral landbank.
• Landscape and Visual Assessment is a tool to assess and identify features and elements that contribute to the character of the landscape. Landscape Assessments are used to inform planning policies, the allocation of land for development, the assessment of planning applications and the process of Environmental Assessments.
• The Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA) provides an overview of flood risk across West Berkshire. We are in the process of updating the SFRA to support the Minerals and Waste Local Plan, further information is available in the  SFRA Statement [398kb]
• An Assessment of the Archaeological Resource in Aggregate Areas of West Berkshire provides information on the management of the historic environment.

What happens next?

All comments will be published on our consultation portal following the closure of the consultation and taken into account in the preparation of the Draft Submission document, which will be subject to further consultation before submission to the Secretary of State.