Central and Eastern Berkshire - Joint Minerals & Waste Plan

Previous work on the Plan

Regulation 24 Public Examination

Main Modifications Consultation

Bracknell Forest Council, Reading Borough Council, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and Wokingham Borough Council (collectively referred to as the Central and Eastern Berkshire Authorities) are working in partnership to produce a Joint Minerals and Waste Plan which will guide minerals and waste decision making in the Plan area.

The Joint Minerals and Waste Plan will replace the adopted minerals and waste plans for the Berkshire area, based on up-to-date evidence of the current levels of provision for minerals and waste facilities in the Plan area. Importantly, the Plan aims to establish the future levels of provision required to meet national and regional policy targets and objectives. It will set out a new vision of how this will be achieved and provide details of strategic sites that we propose will deliver the vision.

The Joint Minerals and Waste Plan was submitted to the Secretary of State, under Regulation 22 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended), as of February 2021. The Joint Minerals and Waste Plan is now undergoing an independent examination, under Regulation 24 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended).

The consultation on the proposed Main Modifications to the submitted Joint Minerals and Waste Plan has now closed. The consultation ran for six weeks, taking place between Monday 28 February 2022 and Monday 11 April 2022.

The purpose of the Main Modifications consultation was to seek feedback from statutory consultees, stakeholders, communities, local organisations and businesses on the proposed modifications only to the submitted Plan.

What happens next?

All comments relating to the Main Modifications to the Joint Minerals and Waste Plan will be submitted to the Inspectors via the Programme Officer. The Inspectors will consider all the comments received and decide whether any further hearings are necessary, or if any issues need to be revisited. The Inspectors will then present their final conclusion in a report. If the report concludes that the Plan is ‘sound’, the Central and Eastern Berkshire Authorities can adopt the Plan, subject to making the Modifications identified.

Hearing Sessions

To date, four days of hearing sessions have been held as outlined below:

Dates: 28, 29 and 30 September 2021
Time: 10am to 4pm
Location: The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Offices, Town Hall, St Ives Road, Maidenhead, SL6 1RF

Date: 12 October 2021
Location: Virtual Hearing

The hearing sessions were recorded for public viewing. Please see links to the hearing session recordings below:

Following the hearing sessions, the Central and Eastern Berkshire Authorities have been given the opportunity to propose modifications to the submitted Joint Minerals and Waste Plan, in order to make it sound and legally compliant.

Key documentation

The Proposed Main Modification document and other supporting documentation are listed below.

Key Proposed Main Modification documents

JCEB Schedule of Proposed Main Modifications

JCEB Submission Plan document

Key supporting documents

JCEB Main Modifications Consultation Letter

JCEB Main Modification FAQs

Additional Modifications

In addition to the Main Modifications documents, the Council is publishing a Schedule of Additional Modifications to the Joint Minerals and Waste Plan. These are minor changes not required to make the Plan sound and include updates, changes for consistency and clarity and corrections.

The Inspectors

Planning Inspectors; Rachael A Bust (Lead Inspector) and Nicholas Palmer have been appointed to undertake an independent examination of the soundness of the Plan. The Inspectors task is to consider the soundness and legal compliance of the submitted Plan, based on the criteria set out in paragraph 35 of the National Planning Policy Framework 2019 (the Framework) and associated regulations, such as the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the Localism Act 2011 and the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012.

The Inspectors will take into account the representations submitted upon the Submission Plan as far as they relate to soundness considerations. A number of informal debates will take place on the principal matters identified by the Inspectors - these are termed ‘hearing sessions’.

At the end of the Examination, the Inspectors will prepare a report to the Council with precise recommendations, these recommendations may include modifications to the Plan, if such a request is made by the Council.

Regulation 22 Submission of Documents to the Secretary of State

The Central and Eastern Berkshire Authorities are now submitting the plan for independent examination, under Regulation 22 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended).

To date, several information gathering consultations have been completed to inform the Plan, under Regulation 18 (of the Local Planning (England) Regulations 2012) between 2017 and 2020.

The Proposed Submission Plan was consulted on for six weeks, beginning on 3 September 2020 and ending 15 October 2020. The Proposed Submission Plan, the evidence base and all representations received are being submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination.

Regulation 19 Proposed Submission Consultation

The Central and Eastern Berkshire Authorities are now publishing the Proposed Submission version of the plan and inviting representations to be made on it, under Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended).

To date, several information gathering consultations have been completed to inform the Plan, under Regulation 18 (of the Local Planning (England) Regulations 2012):

In Summer 2017, an ‘Issues and Options’ Consultation was undertaken to gather technical information and confirm the evidence base;
During Summer / Autumn 2018, a ‘Draft Plan’ consultation set out the proposed approach for the Joint Minerals and Waste Plan
Due to a limited number of site options, a further ‘Call for Sites’ exercise was carried out. This resulted in an additional site (Bray Quarry Extension) being proposed. This was subject to consultation during the Summer of 2019
In Spring 2020 a focussed consultation on Sand & Gravel Provision and Operator Performance was undertaken. This consultation concentrated on an Area of Search Approach, two new proposed sites (Land West of Basingstoke Road, Swallowfield and an Area between Horton Brook & Poyle Quarry) and a new DM15 Policy on Operator Past Performance.

The Proposed Submission Plan is the version that it is intended to submit to the Secretary of State for examination by an independent Planning Inspector. The Central and Eastern Berkshire Authorities are therefore inviting representations on legal compliance and/or ‘soundness’ (please see the accompanying ‘frequently asked questions’ (FAQs) document for a definition of ‘soundness’). Any representations made must refer to legal compliance and/or the tests of ‘soundness’ otherwise they may not be considered by the Secretary of State. All representations received during the stipulated time period are being compiled and submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination.

Key documentation

The Proposed Submission Plan document and other supporting documentation are listed below.

Key Proposed Submission Plan documents

Key supporting documents

Consultation (representations) period

Consultation on the Proposed Submission plan ran for six weeks, beginning on 3 September 2020 and ending 15 October 2020. The consultation has now closed. Late representations may not be accepted as duly made.

JCEB Focussed Regulation 18 Consultation: Sand & Gravel Provision and Operator Performance

The Focussed Regulation 18 Consultation: Sand & Gravel Provision and Operator Performance (‘the Focussed Consultation’) ran for six weeks beginning on 11 February and closing at 5pm on 23 March 2020.

The purpose of the Focussed Consultation was to seek feedback from statutory consultees, stakeholders, communities, local organisations and businesses on the proposed Area of Search, the potential new sites (Land West of Basingstoke Road, Spencers Wood and Area between Horton Brook and Poyle Quarry) and Policy DM15 (Past Operator Performance).

Thank you to all who responded to the Focussed Consultation. A summary report detailing the outcomes of the consultation is now available (please see below).

JCEB Focussed Regulation 18 Consultation summary report

Focussed Regulation 18 Consultation (redacted) representations:

Key documents associated with the Focussed Consultation:

Advert
Letter
Focussed Consultation document
FAQs

Previous stages of the Plan preparation

The first stage in plan preparation was the Issues and Options consultation, conducted Summer 2017.

The second stage in plan-preparation was the Draft Plan consultation, conducted Summer 2018.

Following completion of the consultation, the results were analysed and included in the JCEB Draft Plan Consultation Summary Report. The report seeks to detail who responded, whether the policies and sites were considered sound and what amendments were proposed.

This summary of responses report is a guide for stakeholders and the Central & Eastern Berkshire Authorities to review the responses received. It will be used, together with the full responses and any further information collected or received, to prepare for the next consultation (the 'Proposed Submission consultation') which is scheduled to be carried out in 2020. The full responses are being published through the following document along with the names of the respondents. In line with Data Protection legislation and principles, personal addresses and any personally sensitive information has been redacted.

JCEB Minerals and Waste Plan Draft Plan Consultation 2018

As part of the second stage of the Plan preparation process, was the Additional Regulation 18 (Site Specific) Consultation, conducted during the summer of 2019. The Site Specific Consultation focussed on Bray Quarry Extension and associated assessments (including the Sustainability Appraisal (incorporating Strategic Environmental Assessment). It ran for six weeks, beginning 9 July 2019 and ending on 19 August 2019. The responses have now been processed and the consultation summary can be read here: Consultation Summary Report: Addendum

Each year Minerals Planning Authorities are required to produce a Local Aggregates Assessment to establish the current and predicted situation in that Authority (NPPF 2019). The 2019 Central and Eastern Berkshire Local Aggregates Assessment can be read here: 2019 JCEB Local Aggregates Assessment