Agenda item

To consider the Consultation of Minerals and Waste Plan.

Mrs Venetia Rowland, a local resident, addressed the panel in objection to the Hampshire County Council Mineral and Waste Plan.

She felt that there had been an overestimation of the need for soft sand and gravel by Hampshire County Council for over thirty years and that there had been a reduction in the use of recycled and secondary aggregate production.

Midgham Farm and Cobley Wood Farm were highlighted as two particular extraction sites that would have substantial harmful impact to the area. It was felt that there would be adverse environmental impacts on the local area, extreme sound impacts, cumulative effects from the other active sites and unacceptable implications arising from excess traffic movements.

The member of the public expressed that in their opinion the timeframe for consultation was inadequate due of the lack of accessibility information, the lack of open events, the online documentation amongst other things.

The Panel considered the statement and thanked the member of the public for attending.

The Planning Policy Officer gave the Panel a presentation on the Hampshire Minerals and Waste Plan Consultation. It was heard that there had been a partial update to the plan published in November 2022 for public consultation which concludes on 31st January 2023 which included the commissioning of a consultation at the end of January 2023. This formed part of the is a partial update to the original plan adopted in 2013. The plan was jointly produced by Hampshire County Council, the two City Councils and the two National Parks and the recent review in 2020 concluded that only certain parts of the plan needed updating to reflect changes in national policy. NFDC is one of many consultees.

The plan’s purpose and scope were are to enable enough minerals to be extracted for Hampshire’s needs and to deal with waste effectively, using it as a renewable energy source were appropriate, covering the period up to 2040. The aims of the plan were are the identification of sites for aggregate extraction and waste processing, mitigating adverse effects from those sites, setting out policies for each mineral type/waste stream and safeguarding mineral and waste infrastructure.

Members were informed reminded that the New Forest contained extensive mineral deposits, primarily being sand and gravel. Existing safeguard plans to protect certain sites are in place. The partial update details additional sites for this purpose.

New policies within the update include:

•                Requirements for biodiversity net gain from all developments.

•                Climate Change Assessments to be submitted with each planning application.

•                A stronger application of the waste hierarchy.

•                An update of site allocations to enable a steady and adequate supply of aggregates.

The next steps would be the detailed response to Hampshire County Council, fulfilling the consultation request, by the 31 January 2023 by way of a Portfolio Holder Decision. A further round of consultation would take place in 2023 and the County Council aim to proceed to public examination in the later months of 2024.

Following a question from a member, the Panel heard that there had not been detailed information provided on the transport aspects of the update. This was the first time the District Council had seen the sites be proposed, however the further information on the transport and highways impact would be an important part of the Council’s response to the Consultation.

Concern was also raised over the environmental impact of the HGV transportation arrangements and the Panel were reassured that the Council would raise concern over all elements of potential impact on the area and the environment.

On contamination, the Panel were informed that asbestos disposal regimes were available and highly controlled from the point of extraction to burial, involving both the Environment Agency and the Waste Authority.

Members were reassured that the Council’s consultation response on the Mineral and Waste Plan would be wide reaching and take account of all the varying aspects of potential impact, such as water contamination and carbon emissions.