8       Emerging Policy Approach - Sites

8.1     The scale of the landbank for aggregate crushed rock in Derbyshire of 104 years means that there should be no overall requirement in numerical terms to permit new sites over the Plan period.  In general terms, it is likely to be more sustainable to use the existing landbank than to continue to grant permissions for further sites.  Having regard to current national policy, however, there may be cases where proposals come forward for new aggregate crushed rock quarries or extensions to existing quarries, which offer significant economic and/or social benefits to the local community and/or the environment, but which would not lead to a significant increase in the overall landbank of aggregate crushed rock.

8.2     National policy in the NPPF now makes it clear that local planning authorities should give "great weight" to the benefits of mineral extraction "including to the economy".  The economic benefit will, therefore, be an important aspect of the justification underlying any new proposal.  Any new proposals for sites will be judged against all the strategic sustainability principles set out in a separate paper.

8.3     A demonstrable local benefit from new proposals for quarrying could include continued local benefit through employment or a reduction of quarrying impact, for example through improvements to access, relocation of plant, better control of working methods, reduction in road transport or an improved restoration scheme.

8.4     Where a clear benefit to the local community or environment cannot be identified within the proposal itself, additional benefits might include contributions to local environmental projects, the maintenance of public footpaths through operator owned land, or the revocation of mineral permissions, which are considered unlikely to be worked in the future.

8.5     The issues for industrial limestone are different; provision being highly dependent on the specific chemical composition of the mineral.  Additional working may be required for this mineral in order to continue to meet these requirements.  This is covered in the separate strategy for industrial limestone.

 

Emerging Approach For The Provision of Sites for Aggregate Crushed Rock   Option 1 Given the size of the landbank of aggregate grade crushed rock in the Plan area, permission will only be granted for new reserves of aggregate grade crushed rock either as extensions to existing quarries or new quarries if the operator demonstrates that, without significantly increasing the level of permitted reserves, the proposal will deliver demonstrable long-term economic benefits to the local community and/or local environment and the proposal includes adequate measures to mitigate adverse impacts on the environment and local community. One benefit may involve operators agreeing to relinquish mineral permissions where the reserves are unlikely to be worked again, in exchange for reserves which deliver better sustainability outcomes in overall terms. Option 2 Given the size of the landbank of aggregate grade crushed rock in the Plan area, the Council will not permit any new reserves of aggregate grade crushed rock over the Plan period.