The Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2013-30 (KMWLP) was adopted by the County Council in July 2016. The adopted KMWLP includes the strategy and policy framework for minerals and waste development in Kent and sets out future capacity and supply requirements. The KMWLP commits the Council to preparing ‘Sites Plans’ which allocate land suitable for minerals and waste development.
Mineral Sites Plan
The Mineral Sites Plan will allocate sites in Kent for the types of minerals development needed to fulfil the vision and objectives of the KMWLP
Early Partial Review of the KMWLP
The adopted KMWLP identified a shortfall in waste management capacity over the Plan period to be met, in part, by development on sites allocated in a Waste Sites Plan. Work on the Waste Sites Plan included a reassessment of waste management requirements which suggests that the identification of sites within a separate Waste Sites Plan is no longer justified. One of the main reasons for the change in position is that additional significant waste recovery capacity is now under construction at Kemsley Sustainable Energy Plant which was previously discounted from the original assessment of capacity requirements. To regularise the position, modifications to the KMWLP are now required.
Minerals and Waste Safeguarding
Implementation of the KMWLP has revealed a significant ambiguity within policies which is having a detrimental impact on the ability of the KMWLP to safeguard mineral resources and minerals and waste management infrastructure. As part of the Partial Review it is therefore proposed to seek modifications to rectify this issue.
Revised Local Development Scheme
The Local Development Scheme sets out the Council’s programme for preparing minerals and waste planning documents and the most recent version was adopted in December 2016. The current scheme expects a Waste Sites Plan to be prepared and did not anticipate the Partial Review mentioned above and so needs to be revised.
Decision type: Key
Reason Key: Affects more than two Electoral Divisions;
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Division affected: (All Division);
Notice of proposed decision first published: 13/11/2017
Decision due: Not before 13th Dec 2017 by Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Traded Services
Reason: In order that the proposed decision can be published for a minimum of 28 days, in accordance with statutory requirements
Lead member: Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Traded Services
Lead director: Katie Stewart
Department: Growth, Environment & Transport
Contact: Sharon Thompson, Head of Planning Applications Tel: 03000413468 Email: sharon.thompson@kent.gov.uk Tel: 01622 696131.
Consultees
All mineral site options and the content of the early partial review have been discussed with the Informal Members Group for the KMWLP appointed by the Cabinet Member.
Consultation was undertaken with the waste industry active within Kent, as well as neighbouring waste planning authorities on the need to review the waste management capacity requirements. All parties were invited to consider the County Council’s revised waste evidence and to make representations. All responses were considered and no representation justified the need for the County Council to reconsider the conclusions of the review of the waste management capacity requirements.
A minimum 12 week public consultation period is to take place on the Mineral Sites Plan Options and the Partial Review of the KMWLP post consideration by the Environment and Transport Cabinet Committee and the Cabinet Member. This will include members of the public and communities in the vicinity of the sites, parish and district councils, statutory bodies, local interest groups, in addition to mineral operators and those having previously made representations on the KMWLP. This will aid work on the next phase of the plan making process, including work on the detailed technical assessments of the mineral sites.
This was considered at the Environment & Transport Cabinet Committee on 30th November 2017.
Financial implications: The costs of preparing the Mineral Sites Plan Options and the early partial review of the KMWLP are included in the Environment, Planning and Enforcement Division’s budget. There is an expectation by Government (DCLG) that all planning authorities have an up to date local plan in place. Without an up to date adopted plan, there is a risk that DCLG will step in as the plan making authority, reducing local accountability.
Legal implications: The County Council has a legal obligation under Town and Country Planning legislation to prepare a statutory Development Plan. The County Council is also required by national planning policy to ensure that local plans promote sustainable minerals and waste development. The early partial review will play an important role in ensuring that minerals and waste development in Kent is in line with national planning policy.
Equalities implications: An equality impact assessment has been completed and no equality implications have been identified.