Date set for Minerals and Waste Plan public hearings
PUBLISHED ON: 23 DECEMBER 2024News release from Hampshire County Council
Hampshire’s Minerals and Waste Plan – a framework to ensure Hampshire can provide its share of materials, such as sand and gravel, for building homes, schools and roads in the future – is set to enter the final stages of the process.
The Government’s Planning Inspectorate has confirmed that examination hearings will open next year, to be conducted by an independent Inspector.
The Inspector will examine whether the Plan is legally compliant and sound, in line with the National Planning Policy Framework – namely that it is positively prepared, justified, effective and consistent with national policy.
Why does Hampshire need a Minerals and Waste Plan?
The Hampshire Minerals and Waste Plan contains local policies to guide the decisions that each of the five mineral and waste planning authorities make when determining planning applications for minerals extraction or waste facilities and operations.
This is the best way to ensure that minerals and waste operations fully consider the character and special qualities of Hampshire and will not adversely impact communities or the local environment. Not having an up-to-date Plan in place would make Hampshire vulnerable to having sites decided at appeal, losing the opportunity to ensure locally relevant matters are considered when sites come forward for minerals or waste development.
Submission to the Planning Inspectorate in July 2024 was agreed by Hampshire’s five mineral and waste planning authorities: Hampshire County Council; New Forest National Park Authority, Portsmouth City Council, Southampton City Council and the South Downs National Park Authority.
The Public Examination Hearings
Hearings will open at 10am on 4 February 2024 and will be informal, ‘round table’ sessions led by the independent Planning Inspector, Luke Fleming, who will address pre-set topics. Unlike a public inquiry, there will be no formal presentation of parties’ cases and there will be no cross-examination.
Written representations have been received from individuals and organisations (the representors). These have been published on the Examination website.
Taking part in a Hearing
The right to be heard in a hearing is open only to those who have made representations on the Plan at the Regulation 19 stage and propose changes to make it sound and/or legally compliant.
The Inspector has indicated that it is only useful for those who are participating in the discussion to attend the hearing sessions. The discussion will be based on the Inspector’s matters, issues and questions, the Regulation 19 representations and any hearing statements submitted by participants.
Those who have previously made a representation and wish to participate in a hearing must make a formal request to the Inspectorate’s appointed Programme Officer by the deadline of Friday 20 December 2024.
Requests should be sent via email to: james.hulme@hants.gov.uk. The request should set out the specific session(s) of interest.
Hearings programme
The hearings will be held in person on Tuesday 4 to Thursday 6, and Tuesday 11 to Thursday 13 February 2025. More detailed information about the programme is published online.
They will be held at: Elizabeth II Court, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 8BH.
Consideration of unallocated sites
The Examination will not consider sites which, although identified as a source of minerals, have not been allocated in the Plan. Therefore, these will not be discussed at the hearing sessions.
What happens next?
It is not the Inspector’s role to improve the Plan or to make it ‘more’ sound. If it is sound, the Inspector will not recommend an alternative as an improvement.
After the hearings have closed, the Inspector will prepare a report for the five mineral and waste planning authorities with conclusions and recommendations. If the Inspector agrees that the Plan is legally compliant and sound in all respects, the report will recommend its adoption by the five mineral and waste planning authorities.
If it is found not to be legally compliant or is unsound in any respect, the Inspector can recommend modifications to make it compliant and sound, where possible.
The Examination will remain open until the Inspector’s report is submitted. However, no further representations or evidence will be accepted after the hearings have closed, unless the Inspector specifically requests it.
Identified sites are subject to local planning scrutiny
Once agreed as ‘sound’ by the Planning Inspectorate, and adopted by the five authorities, any allocated site identified in the adopted Plan would still require operators to apply for permission in the usual way, taking account of all the environmental considerations and assessing the impact on the local community and area, including undertaking consultation with stakeholders. Land identified would be released only if it is needed, and the planning application fully satisfies the stringent criteria and other tests set out in the Hampshire Minerals and Waste Plan.
More information
More details and information about the Hampshire Minerals and Waste Plan and the Public Examination, including the Planning Inspector’s guidance can be found online.
