Minerals Local Plan Issues and Options consultation

The County Council notes that Nottinghamshire County Council has withdrawn their Minerals Local Plan that was at examination and is now starting again.

As a minerals planning authority in the same region Northamptonshire County Council is not supportive at the approach taken by Nottinghamshire to withdraw their plan solely so that they can then re-start but with a significantly reduced provision figure.

It should be noted that we do have some sympathy that if allocated sites aren't progressed and sales are flatlining compared to elsewhere, it tends to show a reduced level of interest in the area by the industry. Nevertheless it is very much regretted that the option of using the examination process to test middle ground approaches of retaining the provision figure and allocations, but including statements giving primacy to up to date LAA 10 year sales figures and re-classifying some of the allocations as reserve allocations, do not appear to have been properly considered by the County Council (at least according to their report to full council) and that the withdrawal of the plan was clearly the outcome sought regardless. It was also disappointing that during this time there was no consultation with the East Midlands Aggregates Working Party or with appropriate minerals planning authorities under the Duty to Co-operate.

It is considered that preparing a new plan on this basis does pose the question about whether the requirement that a Local Plan should be positively prepared is being strictly adhered to.