Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendations.

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment introduced the First Revision to the North Wales Regional Technical Statement (RTS) for the strategic provision of aggregate minerals and provided details on the implications for Flintshire and other local authorities within North Wales.

The revision of the RTS required political endorsement by a majority of the respective Councils that made up the North Wales region to allow it to be published and used for preparation of aggregate policy within Local Development Plans (LDP) and reviews, or the preparation of Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) as was appropriate.

The provision of minerals for house building, highways, infrastructure, commercial and industrial development was a major factor in economic growth.

The Director of Environment explained that each authority had to contribute to an apportionment for hard rock and sand and gravel for the duration of their LDP’s and beyond.  In many instances, there were sufficient existing permitted reserves of aggregate but where there was a shortfall, additional allocations would need to be made.  The RTS recommendations took into account the location of rock deposits, environmental and sustainability factors, and the location of markets.

Flintshire maintained landbanks of permitted reserves however they were insufficient to meet the recommended apportionment.  The recommendation was to make additional minimum allocations of 3.84m tonnes of hard rock and 1.4m tonnes of sand and gravel to provide required apportionments into the future.

The provision of minerals for house building, highways, infrastructure, commercial and industrial development was a major factor in economic growth.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the First Revision of the North Wales Regional Technical Review be endorsed; and

(b)       That the departure from published planning policy and guidance be noted and that clarification letters will be issued by the Welsh Government in the interim until the policy and guidance is revised.