Contact: Trevor Badley, ext 5795

1. Summary

1.1 The following decision is sought:

That the Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton Minerals and Waste Local Plan Review Key Issues Paper be approved for public consultation.

2. Reason

2.1 To progress the review of the Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton Minerals and Waste Local Plan and meet the statutory requirements for public consultation.

3. Other Options Considered and Rejected

3.1 None.

4. Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Decision Maker or a Member or Officer consulted - Not applicable.

5. Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee - Not applicable.

6. Reason(s) for the Matter being dealt with if Urgent - Not applicable.

Approved by: Date:

Councillor K B Estlin

7. Background

7.1 A programme for the review of the Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton Minerals and Waste Local Plan was confirmed by the former Planning and Transportation Committee on 5 July 1999. On 20 November 2000 that Committee agreed to the appointment of an independent facilitator to undertake the stakeholder dialogue exercise.

7.2 Traditionally, public consultation on local plans has focused on public meetings and exhibitions. In the current review, a facilitated stakeholder dialogue process will be used to get stakeholders more actively involved in the plan preparation process. It is considered that this approach of receiving ongoing comments and input from stakeholders under the guidance of professional facilitators will be far more useful to the review. Further details are provided below.

8. Progress with the Review of the Minerals and Waste Local Plan

The Stakeholder Dialogue Process

8.1 On 31 June 2001 ENTEC UK with Alison Millward Associates were appointed to design and run a facilitated stakeholder dialogue exercise in support of the Local Plan Review. The consultants proposed the establishment of two separate stakeholder groups - the Core Group, and the Main Group.

8.2 Stakeholders were invited from a wide range of groups, organisations and individuals with an interest in the overall issue of minerals in Hampshire, including parish and town councils, local authorities, County and City Council Member representatives, Central Government representatives, residents' associations, private individuals, Government agencies, the minerals industry and related trade associations, landowners' associations, oil and gas operators, other interest groups and associations, non-governmental organisations, the voluntary sector and relevant leisure and recreation groups.

8.3 The Core Group consists of 10 stakeholders specifically selected to try to represent the interests of the wider group. It met on 24 July 2001 to consider and advise on the planning and design of the main stakeholder process. It is due to meet again prior to publication of the issues paper to consider progress to date and the final stages of the stakeholder exercise.

8.4 The Main Stakeholder Group met for the first time on 27 September 2001, and has met four times since then. It last met on 20 February 2002. Meeting times have varied from weekdays, weekday evenings and Saturdays, as recommended by the Core Group. As stakeholders are drawn from such a variety of backgrounds, the staggering of meeting times is intended to make it easier for as many stakeholders as possible to be at the meetings. Approximately 300 stakeholders were contacted initially and invited to be part of the Review process. Numbers at meetings have ranged from between 35 and 50 stakeholders.

8.5 The Main Group meetings to date have covered issues and principles to be taken into account in the review; criteria for site selection and discussion; a review of all the policies of the current Plan and the following specific topics:

(i) Sand and Gravel Resources;

(ii) Need for Aggregates;

(iii) Aggregate Wharves and Depots;

(iv) Rail Transport;

(v) Recycling and Secondary Aggregates; and

(vi) After-use of Sites.

Future meetings are programmed to consider emerging plan policies and the site selection process. The input of the stakeholders has been of significant benefit to the Review process, including identification of key issues for inclusion in the issues paper.

9. Programme for Review

9.1 At this stage only the Minerals part of the Hampshire, Portsmouth ad Southampton Minerals and Waste Local Plan is being reviewed, since the need to review the Waste part of the Plan was considered less urgent. The proposed programme for the Minerals Plan Review has been revised to take account of slippages and upcoming key stages are set out below:

(i) Publish Minerals Issues Paper for Consultation April 2002

(ii) Continuation of Consultation Process spring/

(further stakeholder dialogue and summer 2002

consultation on issues with the wider

public)

(iii) Complete Stakeholder Dialogue Process September 2002

(iv) Place Minerals Alteration on First Deposit November/

December 2002

9.2 Stakeholder groups have highlighted the need to consider the issue of resource management and waste in a coordinated way. It is likely that this request can be accommodated in due course as the emerging Natural Resource Management Initiative develops during 2002.

10. The Draft Issues Paper

10.1 Publication of the issues paper (see attached appendix) for public consultation will be the first step in the statutory consultation process. The issues paper sets out some general background information to minerals planning and extraction in Hampshire. It suggests a minerals strategy to guide the Review, with an overall aim and supporting objectives. It then sets out a series of key issues, with consultation questions on each one. The issues paper is intentionally not site-specific. Comments are invited on the proposed strategy and all the issues raised together with any other issues that consultees may wish to consider.

10.2 The issues paper will be made widely available for comment following its publication. A summary version with a response sheet will be produced and circulated, and it is proposed to publish the paper on Hantsweb. There will be a consultation period of eight weeks for consultees to make their views known.

10.3 However, before it can be published it must be approved by the three strategic planning authorities. On 8 February 2002 JAP noted the proposed publication of the Issues Paper and referred the matter to each of the three strategic planning authorities for approval. Portsmouth and Southampton City Councils are currently going through the process of seeking approval for publication. For the County Council, the draft issues paper was considered by the Environment Policy Review Committee on 6 March 2002. It was to be recommended, subject to the views of that Committee, that the Executive Member for Environment approve the Issues Paper for publication for public consultation.

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