Archived decisions

REPORT OF THE

Executive Member for Spatial Strategy

PART I

HAMPSHIRE MATERIAL RESOURCES STRATEGY: MINERALS AND WASTE DEVELOPMENT SCHEME FOR HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL AND PORTSMOUTH AND SOUTHAMPTON CITY COUNCILS

The County Council has been preparing a Hampshire Material Resources Strategy in partnership with Portsmouth and Southampton City Councils and Project Integra, and in association with major stakeholders such as district and parish councils, businesses, public agencies and special interest groups through a series of community workshops. An innovative approach has been adopted for the Strategy, which has been developed over the last 18 months. A cross-authority strategic plan is considered vital for coordinated planning of mineral and waste resources between the principal urban and rural areas of geographic Hampshire. The Strategy is an important document which sets out the programme delivery timetable, which will in turn facilitate the infrastructure required to meet Hampshire's waste management and minerals needs.

The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 received Royal Assent on 13 May 2004. It requires each mineral and waste planning authority to prepare a Development Scheme within six months of the Act's commencement. The scheme should set out the timetable for the mineral and waste development documents an authority intends to prepare over a subsequent three year period. The relevant part of the Act commenced on 28 September 2004; therefore Hampshire County Council and Portsmouth and Southampton City Councils are required to produce a Minerals and Waste Development Scheme by 28 March 2005. There is provision in the Act for the preparation of joint development documents, and this is the recommended way forward in this area. At this stage however, the issue of a joint `plan' has yet to be formally considered by either of the city councils. Since the matter was considered at a decision making meeting on 12 October 2004, the planning role of the future New Forest National Park Authority has also been further clarified. The Authority will, in due course, become a Mineral and Waste Planning Authority in its own right. Whilst there will be further discussions on the detailed planning arrangements for the National Park, it is considered prudent to amend the Development Scheme to make reference to the emergence of an additional planning body within the proposed plan area. Discussion and close liaison will take place with the Shadow National Park Authority in the meantime, with a view to taking forward this work on a Hampshire wise basis. Within this framework, a series of Development Documents can be prepared, the most important being the Development Plan documents. Current work is focussed on the Core Strategy which is a critical document.

The Hampshire Material Resources: Minerals and Waste Development Scheme is therefore commended to the County Council for approval. Copies of the Scheme document are available in the Members' Rooms.

RECOMMENDATIONS

(i) That the Hampshire Material Resources: Minerals and Waste Development Scheme is approved for submission to the First Secretary of State, subject to Portsmouth and Southampton City Councils' formal agreement to a joint Scheme.

(ii) That, in the event of Portsmouth City Council and/or Southampton City Council not agreeing to a joint Scheme, and/or any submission from the emergent New Forest National Park Authority, the Director of Environment be authorised to modify and submit an amended version to the First Secretary of State, to cover the appropriate administrative area.