Draft Nottinghamshire Minerals Local Plan

MP4: Crushed rock (limestone) provision

Introduction

4.56. Around 60 million tonnes of limestone are extracted in Great Britain every year making it the largest mineral extractive industry in the Country^[1]. The majority of this is used as an aggregate, the remainder being used in the cement, chemical, glass, iron and steel industries and agriculture. Limestone is also an important source of building and ornamental stone.

4.57. Although the East Midlands is one of the most important limestone producing areas, Nottinghamshire's resources are relatively limited and the only permitted reserves are at Nether Langwith Quarry (currently dormant). Limestone is the only 'hard rock' of any economic interest to be found in the County and by regional standards output is very low.

Justification

4.58. Based on the limestone requirements set out in the aggregate provision policy (MP1), the plan does not need to provide any further limestone as current permitted reserves at Nether Langwith quarry (see appendix 4 – inset 7) are adequate to cover the plan period. The quarry has planning permission until 2035 at a planned output of 250,000 tonnes per annum, however actual output has been much lower and it has not been worked for a number of years. At this point it would provide the opportunity to review the restoration scheme to ensure it is in-line with policy SP2 Biodiversity-Led Restoration.

MP5: Secondary and recycled aggregates

Introduction

Justification

4.63. Where recycled materials are technically, economically and environmentally acceptable as substitutes for primary materials, then they should be used. It is accepted, however, that there may be problems associated with the ability of these materials to meet required British Standard specifications and that their availability or location might make their use disadvantageous in economic terms.

4.64. It is recognised that many of the adverse environmental effects resulting from the extraction of primary aggregates apply to the use of secondary materials. This is because the processes are similar involving the generation of noise, dust and visual intrusion, and road transport using heavy goods vehicles. Incorporating recycling and secondary aggregate operations into an existing mineral development could also increase the overall harmful effect that the site has on the amenity of the surrounding area, or could increase the life of the development beyond that which is considered acceptable.

MP6: Brick Clay provision

Introduction

4.65. Brick clay refers to the clay and shale used in the manufacture of building and construction materials. In Nottinghamshire the clay extracted is used for facing bricks, pavers, roofing tiles and clay pipes, although nationally other important uses include cement production.

4.66. Extraction currently only takes place from the Mercia Mudstone resource to the east and south of the County. Resources do exist within the smaller Edlington Formation and Coal measures to the west of the County, however these have not been worked since the 1970s. No detailed assessment has been completed regarding the areas of the Mercia Mudstone which are best suited to brick manufacture; however the 'Gunthorpe Formation' location close to both of Nottinghamshire's existing brick works has been identified by the current operators as particularly suitable.

Justification

4.67. There is no national demand forecast or local apportionment for brick clay although the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) does require a 25 year landbank of permitted brick clay reserves to be identified for each brick works. In Nottinghamshire there are two brick works with associated clay pits operated by two national producers – Dorket Head near Arnold and Kirton near Ollerton. Each site is discussed below:

Kirton (MP6a)

4.68. The existing brick pit is located to the east of Kirton village, 3km from New Ollerton and provides both red-firing and cream-firing clays directly to the brick works adjacent. The red-firing clay accounts for about 90% of demand. Reserves of red-firing clay is expected to be adequate until 2044. Reserves of cream- firing clay are located to the east of the brick works within a separate working area and are expected to be sufficient until at least 2030. The existing pits are being restored to agricultural land at a lower ground level. A small proportion of clay is imported from Waingroves quarry in Derbyshire for use as a blending material. (Appendix 4 – inset 8)

Dorket Head (MP6b)

4.69. The existing brick pit is located to the north of Arnold, ten kilometres from Nottingham. Clay from the pit is supplied directly to the brick works adjacent with permitted reserves expected to be sufficient until 2030. A planning application for a small southern extension has been submitted to the County Council which would provide an additional 3 years worth clay supply. Part of the site is being restored to agricultural land through a landfill scheme whilst the remainder of the site will be restored to agricultural land and woodland at a lower ground level. (see appendix 4 – inset 16)

4.70. An area on Woodborough Lane was put forward by the operator of Dorket Head clay pit as a remote extension and has been allocated. The clay pit would provide additional reserves from the early 2030s for approximately 20 -25 years. This would maintain supplies to the existing brick works. No additional processing plant would be required as the clay would be transported from the extension across the B684 to the existing stockpile within the currently permitted quarry. Restoration would either be to a lower ground level reflecting the existing surroundings or filled with inert materials. This would be considered in further detail at the appropriate time.

New brick works and clay pits

4.71. Any applications for new brick works and clay pits would need to have regard to the Strategic and Development Management policies of the plan, but more particularly be considered in light of the need for the development and any potential environmental, social or economic impacts

MP7: Gypsum provision

Introduction

4.72. In Nottinghamshire two distinct gypsum resources are worked. The Marblaegis Mine at East Leake exploits the 'Tutbury Gypsum' and supplies an associated plasterboard plant and plaster works. Bantycock Quarry near Balderton, Newark exploits the 'Newark Gypsum'. The lowest seams at this site are very high quality and are the only mineral of this grade to be found in the UK. It is used in specialist plasters and a wide range of other products ranging from dentistry to food additives.

4.73. Since the mid-1990s national and local gypsum production has declined due to increased supplies of desulphogypsum (DSG), a by-product of flue gas desulphurisation plants that have been retrofitted at most coal fired power stations, including all three power stations in Nottinghamshire. The long term future of desulphogypsum is uncertain as new emission controls due in the 2020s could see more coal fired power stations close or switch to other fuels. This is likely to increase the demand for natural gypsum.

Justification

4.74. There is no national demand forecast or requirement to identify a local apportionment figure for Gypsum production and it is up to the industry to identify adequate reserves to maintain production.

4.75. Permitted reserves at the Marblaegis Mine (MP7a) are sufficient until at least 2026 and represent the full extent of the mine within Nottinghamshire. (See appendix 4 – inset 22). When these reserves are utilised, mining will move eastwards towards Wymeswold in Leicestershire.

4.76. Permitted reserves at Bantycock Quarry are currently expected to be adequate until around 2023 at current rates of extraction. (See appendix 4 – inset 17)

Bantycock Quarry South (MP7c)

4.77. A southern extension to the existing quarry is being proposed for allocation which would be worked once the existing permitted quarry has been exhausted. Output is expected to be between 350,000 – 500,000 tonnes per annum giving the quarry an additional 15-24 years. The restoration of the quarry is proposed to be largely back to agriculture in line with the existing quarry restoration.

MP8: Silica sand provision

Introduction

4.79. The specialist nature of silica sand products means that the market area is very large and serves local, regional and national requirements. Due to the relatively small volumes of material and the varied destinations all silica sand extracted in Nottinghamshire is currently transported by road.

Justification

4.80. There is no national demand forecast or local apportionment for silica sand although the NPPF does require a 10 year landbank of permitted reserves to be identified.

4.81. A silica sand quarry at Two Oaks Farm (see appendix 4 – inset 11), south of Mansfield has permitted reserves of approximately 12 million tonnes which is expected to be adequate for around 40 years. This satisfies the recommended 10 year landbank per quarry (or 15 years when significant new capital is needed) set out in national policy.

MP9: Industrial Dolomite provision

Introduction

4.82. Industrial dolomite is an industrial grade limestone that is mainly used in the iron and steel industry. The resource in the UK is rare and locally is only found in parts of the Magnesian Limestone which is mainly worked for aggregate grade mineral. The end market for industrial dolomite products is international due to the scarcity of this high quality mineral.

4.83. No industrial dolomite is currently worked in Nottinghamshire although there are known reserves in a small area near Holbeck village. Just across the County boundary at Whitwell in Derbyshire industrial dolomite is quarried alongside aggregate stone on a large scale. Typically around 1 million tonnes are extracted every year at this quarry with the tonnage being split evenly between the industrial grade and aggregate limestone. The industrial dolomite is processed into a range of refractory and other products in the on-site kilns and then exported to 28 countries spanning 4 continents.

Justification

4.84. There is no national demand forecast or local apportionment for industrial dolomite. However, the NPPF states that Minerals Planning Authorities should plan for a steady and adequate supply of industrial minerals. Given the scarcity of the resource and the international market it supplies it will be important to work with Derbyshire County Council in relation to the existing site at Whitwell Quarry, to ensure that this can be achieved.

4.85. Existing permitted reserves at Whitwell quarry in Derbyshire are expected to be adequate until 2033 for industrial dolomite and 2040 for aggregate grade limestone, however due to operational requirements further reserves are likely to be needed before this date to maintain future production.

4.86. No site specific proposals for Industrial Dolomite were put forward for consideration as part of the evidence gathering process. As a result a criteria based policy is being proposed.

4.87. The known industrial dolomite reserve in Nottinghamshire is located closeto Creswell Crags which is categorised as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and forms part of the Registered Park and Garden of Welbeck Abbey. The Crags are also identified on a short list for a potential future World Heritage Site. Therefore any proposal would require careful consideration of the potential impacts on the historic environment offset against the international need for the mineral.

MP10: Building Stone provision

Introduction

4.88. The continued quarrying of local building stones play an important role in helping to preserve the historic environment and enhancing the local distinctiveness of an area. Local stone is needed to allow existing historic buildings to be properly repaired and it also means new buildings in historic areas can blend in more effectively. The only permitted building stone quarry in Nottinghamshire quarries Bulwell Stone, a buff coloured limestone used as a building stone and more widely as a walling stone used to front many older properties in Nottingham and its suburbs.

Justification

4.89. National policy is reflected through Strategic Objective 7 (page 15), in that the identification of building stone quarries should be supported to ensure that adequate provision can be made to help conserve the historic built environment and local distinctiveness. Yellowstone quarry at Linby has planning permission to extract building stone but it is currently inactive. If reopened this could provide building stone to serve the local market and is the only such quarry in Nottinghamshire. (see appendix 4 – inset 16)

4.90. To date no other sites have been put forward, however demand for a specific building stone could drive the need to develop a new quarry. In this instance criterion 2 in policy MP10 will be used to assess future applications at other sites to ensure that the specialised resource is not used for aggregate purposes. This is in line with national requirements to make the best use of the limited resources to secure long term conservation.

4.91. In demonstrating a need, regard should be had to the Strategic Stone Study for Nottinghamshire, which sets out the significant building stones used in historical buildings and the potential quarries which could supply it.

MP11: Coal

Introduction

4.92. Most of Nottinghamshire's coal resources are deeply buried and have to be exploited by deep coal mining. It is only in the far west of the County along the Erewash Valley where the coal measures are exposed, that surface (opencast) extraction is possible. The last deep mine in Nottinghamshire located at Thoresby Colliery closed in July 2015. A proposal to work surface mined coal at Shortwood Farm near Cossall has planning permission but has yet to be worked. (see Plan 4).

Colliery tipping

4.93. When coal is mined, a considerable amount of waste spoil is removed, which has to be disposed of. Due to the closures of the remaining collieries in Nottinghamshire, it is unlikely that any additional land will be required for spoil disposal over the plan period. If in the future new coal reserves are exploited this may be a significant consideration for any new proposal.

Coal recovery

4.94. Historical coal processing was often inefficient and substantial quantities of coal were left in the spoil. At some sites it may now be economic to recover this coal, which can amount to several hundred thousand tonnes in a single large tip. Coal recovery involves the re-excavation of spoil for processing, the remainder of which is then re-deposited within the original tipping area. The last tip to be worked in this way was Langton Colliery tip near Kirkby in Ashfield, between 2011 and 2013 (see Plan 4).

Justification

4.95. National guidance sets out that permission should not be granted for the extraction of coal unless it can be made environmentally acceptable through planning conditions or if not where local or national benefits outweigh the likely impacts. There are no production targets as the Government believes this is a matter for the markets reinforced by long term policy measures.

4.96. Although it is unlikely that additional colliery tipping will be required during the plan period, this activity can have significant impacts in terms of land take and visual prominence. Should proposals for future coal extraction come forward, these will need to be accompanied by details of how the spoil would be managed.

4.97. The reworking of colliery spoil tips and lagoons is in principle a sustainable activity as it recovers coal that has been discarded as waste and it can provide an opportunity to properly reclaim old tips/lagoons that may have been left in a poor state. However, it can also have a significant impact on the environment in terms of visual intrusion, traffic movements, noise and dust. These impacts have to be weighed against the benefits, which could include opportunities for landscape or habitat enhancement.

MP12: Hydrocarbon Minerals

Introduction

4.98. Hydrocarbon minerals comprising oil and gas are the most important energy minerals produced and consumed in the UK. In 2010, 125 million tonnes were produced in the UK, whilst 165 million tonnes were consumed^[2].

4.99. Historically, two main forms of hydrocarbons have been worked in Nottinghamshire; oil and mine gas, however other unconventional hydrocarbons such as coal bed methane and shale gas extraction are being developed and could be worked over the plan period. Plan 4 identifies the hydrocarbon resources and sites in Nottinghamshire. Further information regarding the existing permitted sites can be found in the Hydrocarbons background paper on the County Council website.

Oil

4.100. Oil has been extracted on a small scale since the Second World War when oil reserves in deeply buried sandstones were identified at Eakring. Since then further oil fields have been identified, mostly in north Nottinghamshire, but also as far south as Rempstone near the boundary with Leicestershire. The oil recovered in Nottinghamshire is of high quality and mainly used in the plastics and chemical industries rather than as a fuel. The majority of oil is taken by rail from the central collecting station at Gainsborough to refineries at Immingham, Humberside.

Mine gas

4.101. Mine gas refers to the methane that is released from coal seams during deep mining. When mining ceases and ventilation shafts are closed, this gas can fill the mineshafts and other voids and can escape to the surface where it can pose a threat to health and safety in the locality. The situation has become much more prevalent recently because of the number of Nottinghamshire collieries that have closed over the last 30 years. Mine gas can be recovered and burnt to generate electricity.

Coal bed methane

4.102. Coal bed methane extraction involves removing methane directly from the coal seam without actually mining the coal. The industry is most developed in the USA, whilst in the UK and Europe it remains in its infancy. Interest is however developing and it could become a significant energy source for the future. In Nottinghamshire a number of proposals for coal bed methane exploration have been granted planning permission. Nearly all of Nottinghamshire overlies a potential coal bed methane resource but the most promising prospects are believed to exist in the eastern half of the County due to the geological formation.

Underground coal gasification

4.103. Energy can also be recovered from coal in the ground by a process known as 'underground coal gasification'. This burns the coal underground using steam/water and oxygen to generate hydrogen, carbon monoxide and methane. It generates far more energy than coal bed methane which does not extract any energy from the solid coal itself. This technology has not been applied to any significant extent and the prospect of this technology being developed remains uncertain.

Shale gas

4.104. Vast quantities of methane exist in many shale deposits worldwide and recent technological advances have now made it economically possible to exploit them. The technology and exploitation of shale gas is most advanced in the USA where it has gone through a period of very rapid development and is now exploited on a very large scale. The UK also has a significant, but as yet largely untested potential shale gas resource. In Nottinghamshire, potential shale gas resources are thought to exist in deeply buried shale deposits found in the far south and north of the County.

4.105. Shale gas extraction is a very intensive activity that involves vertical and horizontal drilling to reach the shale rock formation. A mixture of water, sand and additives is then pumped under high pressure into the bore hole to fracture the rock (a process known as 'fracking'). The gas trapped in the rock is then released and can be collected.

Justification

4.106. The majority of national production is offshore and one of the biggest energy issues facing the UK is the expected rapid decline in our domestic oil and gas production due to the depletion of these resources. By 2020, the UK could be importing around three quarters of its primary energy needs. This factor, combined with high energy prices and recent technological advances has created a very strong impetus to explore and develop new domestic sources of oil and gas. This includes previously untapped 'unconventional' resources such as coal bed methane and shale gas, both of which are known to exist below Nottinghamshire.

4.107. The NPPF states that for oil and gas including unconventional hydrocarbons, minerals planning authorities should develop criteria based policies that clearly distinguish between the three phases of development (exploration, appraisal and production) and to address constraints that apply within licensed areas. It also encourages the capture and use of mine gas from abandoned mines. National energy policy suggests a broadly positive stance subject to the necessary environmental safeguards would be appropriate.

4.108. The Planning Practice Guidance states that existing hydrocarbon developments, along with Petroleum Licence Areas should be identified in local plans (see plan 5). Site specific allocations can be included in the local plan if put forward by the industry, however no such sites were put forward as part of the 'call for sites' exercise undertaken as part of the evidence gathering process.

4.109. It is considered that there is no justifiable reason in planning policy terms to separate shale gas from other hydrocarbon development. All hydrocarbon development has the potential to deliver national energy requirements, but should be subject to environmental safeguards. Applied to the local circumstances of the Minerals Local Plan, the assessment of environmental and amenity impact (i.e. the constraints on hydrocarbon development) is covered by and can be delivered through the application of the development management policies.

4.110. Petroleum Exploration and Development Licenses (PEDL) are issued by The Oil and Gas Authority under powers granted by the Petroleum Act 1998. The current licensed areas are shown on the policies map.

4.111. A UK Petroleum Exploration and Development Licence (PEDL) allows a company to pursue a range of oil and gas exploration activities, subject to necessary drilling/development consents and planning permission.

4.112. Planning permission is one of the main regulatory requirements that operators must meet before drilling a well for both conventional and unconventional hydrocarbons. The County Council is responsible for granting permission for the location of any wells and well pads, and will impose conditions to ensure that the impact on the land is acceptable. However it is not the only regulatory body that permission for extraction is required from. They include:

• The Oil and Gas Authority issues PEDL, gives consent to drill under the Licence once other permissions and approvals are in place, and have responsibility for assessing risk of and monitoring seismic activity, as well as granting consent for flaring or venting;
• Environment Agency (EA) – protect water resources (including groundwater aquifers), ensure appropriate treatment and disposal of mining waste, emissions to air, and suitable treatment and manage any naturally occurring radioactive materials;
• Health and Safety Executive (HSE) – regulates the safety aspects of all phases of extraction, in particular responsibility for ensuring the appropriate design and construction of a well casing for any borehole.

4.113. A hydrological assessment will be required in support of any planning application and water availability may be a limiting factor in any proposal.

4.114. A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document on unconventional hydrocarbons has been produced by the County Council and can be found on the Council's website.

Plan 5: Coal and hydrocarbons