Foreword

We have listened carefully to the needs of the minerals industry and the concerns of local residents to help us prepare an up-to-date Minerals Local Plan which will guide the future development of mineral planning in our county up to 2036.

Our aim is to ensure that our county can provide a steady and adequate supply of minerals over the plan period, by allocating the right number of quarries in the correct locations whilst providing adequate protection to communities and the environment.

The Publication Version of the Minerals Local Plan has been informed and prepared following several stages of informal consultation with local communities, statutory bodies and the minerals industry. The next stage is to undertake a period of formal consultation on the Publication Version before submitting the document along with the representations to the Government for an independent examination. This will be held by a planning inspector who will assess if the plan is sound and can be adopted by the County Council.

I hope you will respond in order to make sure that we can achieve a sound and workable plan for the future.

County Councillor Phil Rostance

Vice Chairman, Communities and Place Committee