Full Report - Sustainable Aggregates

CR/07/042N
The Deposit Draft Plan anticipated that DoE research into the glacial deposits in the north and west of the county
would take place during 1993/94. However, this did not happen.
Draft Policy NMLP4 identified 24 sites containing a total of about 29 Mt. Of these 11 were in the Nene Valley and
contained about 57% of the resource; six were in the glacial sands and gravels and accounted for a further 20%; six
sites contained soft sand and represented about 19% of the total resource; finally, three sites were identified in other
river valleys and made up 4% of the available mineral.
By the time the draft plan was placed on deposit five of the allocated sites had been permitted. All were relatively
small, containing 0.5Mt or less. One further site had been applied for.
Draft Policies NMLP5 and NMLP6 carried forward the presumption in favour of allocated sites contained in
Policies SG1 and SG3 of the earlier Draft Sand and Gravel Local Plan.
Limestone
The Deposit Draft Plan reported that with the exception of a small number of controversial sites the draft limestone
plan generated much less response that the draft sand and gravel plan.
The supply of limestone for aggregate in Northamptonshire comes from two sources: firstly from old mining
permission areas permitted originally for ironstone; and secondly from more recent areas permitted for limestone
working.
In considering the use of limestone as aggregate the Draft Plan highlighted the difficulties arising from the status of
the old ironstone permissions in the County with regard to working the limestone as a mineral in its own right. At
March 1993 there were 33 dormant limestone sites with economic limestone reserves and around five sites were
actively being worked for limestone.
Draft Policy NMLP8 identified eight sites with planning permission for limestone working, together with three
former ironstone sites that were being worked for limestone. These sites, together with extensions at two of the
permitted sites were sufficient to provide for the extraction of 24Mt of limestone during the plan period; enough to
meet the expected demand as set out in the sub-regional apportionment, derived from DoE Guidelines for the
provision of aggregate.
Secondary & Recycled Aggregate
The Draft Minerals Local Plan contained a short chapter on secondary and recycled aggregates. It encouraged the
use of alternative aggregates and identified demolition and construction wastes and asphalt road planings as being
particularly significant in Northamptonshire. Draft Policy NMLP14 gave general encouragement to recycling
initiatives, particularly those involving demolition and construction wastes and asphalt road planings, subject to the
proposals complying with other policies contained in the Development Plan.
Environmental Protection
Chapter 11 of the Draft Plan considered the impact of mineral workings on the environment and set out a policy
framework to protect interests of acknowledged importance. These included areas of important landscape. Draft
Policy NMLP24 stated in respect of workings in the SLAs or the valleys of the rivers Ise or Tove: “Permission will
not normally be granted unless the restoration proposals will result in no significant adverse permanent change in
the landscape”. It went on to say that “ …proposals within the river valleys of the Nene and Great Ouse will be
carefully considered and the County Council will seek, as far as possible, to exclude workings from such areas
unless the local landscape importance can be safeguarded or satisfactorily reinstated”.
Draft Policy NMLP29 encouraged the use of alternative methods of transport and supported the construction of new
rail facilities. This was especially encouraged “where this is likely to assist in increasing the amount or proportion of
aggregate imported into the county”.
Northamptonshire Minerals Local Plan 1991-2006
Following a Public Inquiry the Northamptonshire Minerals Local Plan 1991-2006 was adopted in 1996. Significant
changes from the Deposit Draft are set out below:
Policy NMLP2 made provision for the extraction of 36Mt of sand and gravel during the plan period 1991-2006, this
is 4Mt less than was referred to in the Deposit Draft. The difference is explained by the time lag between the two
versions of the plan during which time mineral continued to be worked.
Policy NMLP4 identified eleven sites containing in total 21.58Mt of sand and gravel. Five sites that had been listed
in the draft plan had been granted planning permission since it was placed on deposit. The proposed sites made
provision for 2.3Mt (11% in one site) from glacial deposits, 14.13 Mt (65% from four sites) from the Nene Valley,
4.93 Mt (23% from four sites) from soft sand deposits and 0.22Mt (1% from one site) from the Avon Valley.
Compared with the deposit draft plan the percentage of provision from the Nene Valley had risen by 8% but the
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