1 Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Development Framework Presentation at Benson Village Hall 7 th July 2010 Lois Partridge Planning Officer Mineral working: Refined spatial strategy options

22 Contents Context Responses from previous consultation Refined spatial strategy options –Sand and gravel –Soft sand –Crushed rock Next steps

3 Minerals and Waste Development Framework Minerals and Waste Core Strategy To provide for mineral working and waste management facilities for 15 year plan period Your views will help us decide the best strategy for mineral working Previous consultation earlier in 2010 on options for sand and gravel, soft sand and crushed rock

4 Minerals Spatial Strategy Options Refined options informed by the consultation responses –Technical consultees: Environment Agency, Natural England, Highways Agency, transport officers, archaeology officers –6 facilitated stakeholder workshops: County and District Councillors Parish representatives –Stanford in the Vale –Standlake –Benson Environmental groups Mineral operators

Consultation responses from technical consultees Environment Agency: ground water and surface water flows; Lower Windrush Valley Natural England: potential impact on AONBs, SACs, SSSIs; Oxford Meadows & Cothill Fen Archaeology: national and regional sites

66 Stakeholders’ consultation responses Options not sufficiently distinct Duplication of areas identified between options Some option areas too extensive Not all areas of resource included

77 Stakeholders’ consultation responses Transport accessibility to some areas, especially to West Oxfordshire and the Warborough/Shillingford area Particular concern about concentrating extraction in one area – cumulative impact on some communities Potential for restoration to offer opportunities for landscape-scale restoration Varying depth of resources should be taken into account

Refining the options: what we have done Reduced the extent of the areas of resources, using the British Geological Survey data Removed designated areas of national environmental importance Made the options more distinct to make them easier to discuss & understand Created smaller, more focussed areas within the options

Sand and gravel refined options Option 1: concentration on single areas discarded - replaced by concentration on 4 areas of existing working Option 2 now concentrates on new areas of working; 5 potential areas have been identified Option 3:dispersal strategy - extraction from any of the identified areas of resource

Sand and gravel Option 1 Concentration on existing areas –Lower Windrush Valley –Eynsham/Cassington /Yarnton –Radley –Sutton Courtenay

Sand and gravel Option 2 Concentration on new areas –Clanfield/Bampton –Sutton/Stanton Harcourt –Clifton Hampden/Wittenham –Warborough/ Shillingford/Benson –Cholsey

Sand and gravel Option 3 Dispersed option –Finmere –Clanfield/Bampton –Lower Windrush Valley –Sutton/Stanton Harcourt –Eynsham/Cassington/Yarnton –Faringdon –Radley –Sutton Courtenay –Clifton Hampden/Wittenham –Warborough/Shillingford/Benson –Cholsey –Caversham

Soft sand refined option Area in N Oxfordshire added into option Single, extensive area of soft sand in SW Oxfordshire has been replaced with two smaller areas which focus on areas of realistic resource

Soft sand refined option A single option with three sub areas –Duns Tew –SE of Faringdon –Tubney/Marcham/ Hinton Waldrist

Crushed rock refined option Option concentrated around existing working areas Extensive area in N Oxfordshire reduced in size to reflect realistic resource

Crushed rock refined option A single option with three sub areas –East of the River Cherwell, N of Bicester –Burford area, S of the A40 –Soft sand area SE of Faringdon

Requirement for minerals supply All options could meet South East Plan aggregates supply requirement (apportionment) New Government has revoked regional plans Supply requirements could change Still a need to plan for new working areas

Possible hybrid options Options present distinct approaches Consultation responses & assessment may point to a hybrid option or options Could include elements of different options to give best overall approach

19 Next steps This consultation; an opportunity for involvement in the option process Report by facilitators from these 2 workshops Further consultation responses sought from technical consultees

Next steps continued Assessment of the options over the summer OCC drafts Preferred Approach document October 2010 Public consultation late autumn 2010