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ID sylw: 62151

Derbyniwyd: 29/07/2013

Ymatebydd: Warwickshire County Council [Archaeological Information and Advice]

The County Council as the Mineral Planning Authority take the view as that any sites brought forward should not sterilise viable sand and gravel reserves in the emerging plan.

Para. 144 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) states that "local planning authorities... should not normally permit other [non-mineral] development in minerals safeguarding areas where they might constrain potential future use for these purposes".

The County Council has "set out" Minerals Safeguarding Areas (MSAs) / Minerals Consultation Areas (MCAs) to identify known locations of important mineral resources and ensure that they are not needlessly sterilised by non-mineral development. Please refer to the attached plans.

The issue of sand and gravel provision is of particular importance for the County as the NPPF states that mineral planning authorities must maintain a landbank of at least 7 years. The latest West Midlands Aggregate Working Party (WMAWP) information shows that Warwickshire's existing sand and gravel landbank about 3 years at 2010 and based on the County's latest 'call for sites' information, there appear to be few sites put forward by the industry for potential allocation. If the County is to meet its existing apportionment, prior extraction of sand and gravel (if practicable and environmentally feasible) may contribute to meeting any shortfall.