Draft Regulation 18 Sandwell Local Plan
Mineral Safeguarding
13.93 This policy sets out how mineral resources in Sandwell, and sites that are expected to be producing, processing or transporting minerals and mineral products, will be protected from other types of development that could compromise their continued operation over the plan period.
Policy SMI1 - Minerals Safeguarding
- Mineral deposits that are identified as being, or may become of, economic importance will be safeguarded from unnecessary sterilisation.
- Where development is proposed, encouragement will be given to the extraction of the mineral resource prior to or in conjunction with, development, where this would not have unacceptable impacts on neighbouring uses. Developments over five hectares should be accompanied by supporting information (as set out in the Justification) demonstrating that mineral resources will not be needlessly sterilised.
Secondary and Recycled Aggregates
- At the end of 2017 Sandwell was estimated to be producing around 330,000 tonnes of secondary and recycled aggregates per annum at permitted production sites. As a minimum, Sandwell will aim to maintain this level of production throughout the plan period. In support of this, permitted secondary and recycled aggregate sites expected to continue in production up to 2041 will be safeguarded.
- The location of all permitted mineral infrastructure sites in Sandwell, are identified on the Policies Map and these sites are also listed below. Applications for development within a 150m buffer zone of these sites will need to demonstrate they will not have any unacceptable impacts on these sites that would prevent them from continuing to operate.
Justification
13.94 To prevent the unnecessary sterilisation of minerals resources the prior extraction of these resources is encouraged where non-mineral development is proposed (except for conversions /changes of use that do not involve any new building or excavation works).
13.95 Mineral sterilisation issues will only generally come into play when larger development sites are concerned, i.e., those generally above five hectares, and such developments should be accompanied by supporting information demonstrating that mineral resources will not be needlessly sterilised. The supporting information should include details of a prior extraction scheme or, where this is not considered feasible, evidence that:
- mineral resources are either not present, are of no economic value or have already been extracted as a result of a previous site reclamation scheme or other development; or
- extraction of minerals is not feasible, for example due to significant overburden or because mineral extraction would lead to or exacerbate ground instability; or
- prior extraction of minerals would result in abnormal costs and / or delays which would jeopardise the viability of the development; or
- there is an overriding need for the development which outweighs the need to safeguard the mineral resources present; or
- extraction of minerals would have unacceptable impacts on neighbouring uses, the amenity of local communities or other important environmental assets.
13.96 Where prior extraction is proposed, conditions will be imposed on any grant of permission requiring applicants to provide details of the types and tonnages of minerals extracted once the scheme has been completed.
Mineral Processing Infrastructure in Sandwell
13.97 As mineral infrastructure facilities are an essential part of the total infrastructure of the area, it is not only important that they are appropriately located but also there is policy protection applied to these sites to help maintain an adequate and steady supply of minerals.
Table 16 - Key Mineral Infrastructure
|
Site Ref |
Site |
Location |
Type |
|
MIS1 |
Anytime Concrete |
West Bromwich |
Concrete batching plant |
|
MIS2 |
Bescot LDC Depot |
Wednesbury |
Rail-related aggregates depot |
|
MIS2 |
Bescot LDC Depot and Rail Ballast Facility |
Bescot, Wednesbury |
Aggregates recycling |
|
MIS3 |
Breedon Oldbury Concrete Plant |
Oldbury |
Concrete batching plant |
|
MIS4 |
CEMEX Concrete Batching Plant |
Oldbury |
Concrete batching plant |
|
MIS5 |
Former Hanson Site (West Bromwich) |
West Bromwich |
Aggregates recycling |
|
MIS6 |
Hanson Ready Mixed Concrete Plant |
Oldbury |
Concrete batching plant |
|
MIS7 |
Wednesbury Asphalt Plant |
Wednesbury |
Coating plant |
|
MIS8 |
Cradley Special Brick |
Cradley Heath |
Brickworks |
|
MIS9 |
Oldfields |
Cradley Heath |
Aggregates recycling |
|
MIS10 |
Metamix |
Tipton |
Concrete batching plant |