Thursday 6 March 2014

DCC publishes 2nd Local Aggregate Assessment 2003-2012

DCC has just released its 2nd Local Aggregate Assessment; a requirement of the NPPF "to provide a rolling evidence base to inform the approach to be taken in the Local Plans of the individual Mineral Planning Authorities to the supply of aggregates”.

Despite protestations from the minerals industry, through the South West Aggregate Working Party and Devon Stone Federation, the weighted 10 year moving average to calculate future landbank requirements has been maintained.

The status of permitted sand and gravel sites in Devon, table 3.6, has been updated: 
Blackhill, Woodbury: Extraction of remaining reserves was completed in 2011. Plant is retained for processing materials transported from two other sites until December 2016 
Hillhead, Uffculme: No extraction undertaken since 2009, although small quantities have been sold from stockpiles. Renewed extraction of sand and gravel at Houndaller is being considered for 2014.
DCC points out that "the removal of the Aggregates Levy exemptions for secondary aggregates introduces significant uncertainty into the prediction of future requirements for land-won aggregates".