Bath & North East Somerset Local Plan  Revised Deposit 2003

Chapter C4. Minerals

MINERALS STRATEGY FOR BATH AND NORTH EAST SOMERSET

C4.1 The principles of sustainable development underpin the Overall Strategy of this local plan.

C4.2 National policy on sustainable development for minerals planning is based on the following criteria:

• to conserve minerals as far as possible, whilst ensuring an adequate supply to meet needs;

• to ensure that the environmental impacts caused by mineral operations and the transport of minerals are kept, as far as possible, to an acceptable minimum;

• to minimise production of waste and to encourage efficient use of materials, including appropriate use of high quality materials, and recycling of wastes;

• to encourage sensitive, high-quality working, restoration and aftercare practices so as to preserve or enhance the overall quality of the environment;

• to protect areas of designated landscape or nature conservation value from development, other than in exceptional circumstances and where it has been demonstrated that development is in the public interest; and

• to prevent the unnecessary sterilisation of mineral resources.

C4.3 The principles of sustainable development form the basis of strategic minerals planning advice contained within draft Regional Planning Guidance for the South West RPG10 and strategic minerals policies contained within the draft Joint Replacement Structure Plan (Policies 26, 27 and 28).

C4.4 In conformity with the emerging Structure plan and having regard to relevant national and regional minerals planning policy guidance, the minerals strategy for Bath and North East Somerset is therefore to balance, as far as practicable, appropriate demand for supply of minerals with the conservation of mineral resources and stewardship of the environment. An appropriate level of demand for minerals available within the District is, as a first principle, a level of demand for non-aggregate minerals which is commensurate in all material respects with existing underground working or the small-scale nature of current surface mineral workings in Bath and North East Somerset. Policy M1 sets out the Council’s overall strategy for minerals.

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MINERAL RESERVES & RESOURCES (see note 1) & CURRENT MINERALS OPERATIONS

Geology

C4.5 The three main geological series present in the District are the Carboniferous, Triassic and Jurassic formations (Diagram 16).

Carboniferous

C4.6 Carboniferous limestone is characteristic of the Mendip Hills to the south of the District, but there are outcrops near Compton Martin and West Harptree. The Pennant Sandstone and Shale series are part of the Upper Coal Measures which underlie much of the former Wansdyke area. They outcrop in a band between Farrington Gurney and Keynsham with an isolated outcrop near Newton St Loe. At Lower Writhlington part of the former coal tip is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of its geological significance. It has produced Britain’s largest collection of Carboniferous insect fossils.

Triassic

C4.7 These rocks form an area of low relief between the Mendip Hills and Dundry Hill. To the east they form the valley floors of the Somer, Wellow and Cam Brooks before disappearing under more recent Jurassic formations. Dolomitic Conglomerate comprises rock debris accumulated at the foot of the Mendips and can be seen in the vernacular red stone building material in the villages of the area. Occasional beds of Butcombe Sandstone associated with the Keuper Marl form local topographical features such as Pagans Hill and Chilly Hill near Chew Stoke.

Jurassic

C4.8 The Lias limestones form the plateau areas above the low-lying Keuper Marl valleys. Blue Lias has been quarried in the north of the District to provide building materials for Keynsham. Numerous fossils are associated with these rocks. In the south, White Lias has been worked to provide building stone for the Norton Radstock area. Some of the worked out quarries are now SSSIs. Lower Lias clay lies on top of the limestone plateau in places and is exposed in the narrow valleys of the Cam, Wellow and Newton Brooks.

C4.9 Rising above the Lias Limestone plateaux are the hills, ridges and high plateaux formed by the Inferior Oolite limestone which includes the Fullers Earth and Midford Sands formations. They include the Cotswold Hills but also occur as isolated fragments such as The Sleight, Stantonbury Hill and Winsley Hill. The Great Oolite and Forest Marble limestones form the scarp slopes and wide plateaux which typify the Cotswolds. They provide high ground between valleys of the Wellow and Cam Brooks, the extensive plateau near Hinton Charterhouse and the Downs around Bath.

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Surface Deposits

C4.10 River gravels and glacial alluvium feature in the valley bottoms of the Avon and its tributaries. They form extensive areas in the upper parts of the Chew and Cam Valleys. They also occur at the foot of the Mendip Hills around Chew Valley Lake and at Hollow Marsh. At Bathampton, near Keynsham and at Newton St Loe the terrace gravels of the Avon are SSSIs.

Mineral Resources

Limestone

C4.11 Limestone is the principal commercial mineral worked in the plan area. Current reserves (2001) are in the order of 430,000 tonnes of Jurassic Oolitic and 170,000 tonnes of Jurassic Lower Lias and Triassic limestones. Limestone worked in the district is used predominantly for building and walling purposes.

C4.12 Extraction of stone has taken place in the district since Roman times. Bath Stone, the most familiar of the various types of building stone found in B&NES Bath & North East Somerset, is a generic name for limestones quarried and mined from the Middle Jurassic Great Oolite Limestone formation capping the hills in the Bath area. Underground extraction historically was found to yield the best quality Bath Stone, resulting in extensive mining at Combe Down. Bath Stone is still mined at Stoke Hill Mine near Limpley Stoke. An extensive resource of high quality Bath Stone is believed to exist in the Great Oolite limestone plateau forming a corridor between Limpley Stoke and the southern boundary of the District. A variety of Bath Stone known as Combe Down Stone is extracted at Upper Lawn Quarry. It is considered that a sufficient resource of Combe Down Stone exists on land surrounding the quarry to ensure a long-term supply of materials for maintenance and refurbishment of buildings within Bath.

C4.13 Jurassic Lower Lias ("blue lias") and Rhaetian Stage Triassic ("white lias") limestones are extracted for building and walling stone purposes at Stowey Quarry near Bishop Sutton. An identified workable resource of about 480,000 tonnes of limestone exists on land adjacent to the site.

C4.14 Having regard particularly to the status of Bath as a World Heritage Site, the DWLP this Plan must make provision to ensure that a sufficient supply of limestone is readily available to meet local demand for building and walling stone over the plan period.

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Fuller’s Earth

C4.15 Fuller’s earth is a generic name for clays and fine silts which exhibit properties of absorption and adsorption. The name derives from its historic use in "fulling" - cleaning oil and grease from - woollen cloth. Fuller’s earth is a nationally scarce and versatile mineral with many commercial and industrial applications. It was extracted by underground mining for many years at Combe Hay near Bath until closure of the pit in 1979. Whilst the planning permissions for extraction of the mineral over an area of about 126 ha are no longer extant, it is thought that there are unworked sub-economic deposits of the mineral in the order of 5 million tonnes on land between Twinhoe and Peasdown St John (referred to as the Wellow deposit).

C4.16 Fuller’s earths vary considerably in their nature and applicability owing to different levels of impurity and/or constituent minerals. The comparatively high level of impurity (principally calcite) of the Bath deposits reduces the versatility of the mineral and consequently its commercial value. Whilst deposits in Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire and Sussex lend themselves to more advanced processing, given the present state of processing technology impurities in the Combe Hay fuller’s earth make it unsuitable for "value added" treatment.

C4.17 National production of fullers earth has reduced from 213,000 tonnes in 1989 to 94,000 tonnes in 1999. Levels of imports have risen. It is understood that ready-processed granules and powders currently are imported from the Mediterranean region at approximately half the cost of mining the mineral at Combe Hay.

C4.18 A revival of working at Combe Hay would entail the commissioning of new plant together with the sinking of a new mine adit to exploit the remaining mineral deposits. It is considered that the environmental impact and concomitant land-use planning issues raised by creation of a new mine adit together with the limited expected yield in the Combe Hay area (between 200,000 and 400,000 tonnes ex-drier) and poor quality of the deposit would make investment an unattractive proposition. Underground mining of the largely unproved Wellow deposit would not be commercially viable for reasons similar to those put forward in considering the Combe Hay position and for the additional reason that geological movement in this area is thought to have broken up the deposits into small economically unattractive pockets. A proposal for opencast extraction of fuller’s earth in the Wellow area would be difficult to justify in terms of either environmental impact or overriding national need.

C4.19 Having regard to the issues outlined above it is considered that proposals for working the Combe Hay/Wellow fuller’s earth deposits are unlikely to come forward during the Plan period. On this basis there is little justification for reconfirmation of the Area of Search for fuller’s earth identified in the 1993 Mineral Working in Avon Local Plan. The known resource is wholly within the Bristol – Bath Green Belt and substantially within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is therefore unlikely that the resource will be sterilised by significant surface development should circumstances change and commercial interest in the mineral revives. Any proposals which do come forward during the Plan period will be considered on their merits and judged against relevant policies of the Plan.

C4.20 It is considered that the Thederelict plant site should either be demolished and the land restored to agriculture or the existing buildings refurbished and used for a purpose which does not conflict with policies relating to the Green Belt, development in rural areas, highways and other planning policy considerations.

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Coal

C4.21 A long history of coal mining in the district ended with the closure of Lower Writhlington colliery in 1973. On nationalisation in 1947 the Somerset coalfield was estimated to have sufficient remaining accessible reserves to maintain an annual production level of 750,000 tonnes until 2047.

C4.22 It is unlikely that coal mining will resume in Bath and North East Somerset. The principal reasons are the nature and geology of the coal deposits together with the economics generally of the modern coal industry and the cost of investment in infrastructure needed to extract coal locally.

C4.23 The restored or naturally regenerated colliery spoil tips of the Radstock and Pensford basins are the visible remnants of the Somerset coal mining industry and are now a valued part of the industrial archaeology of the District. The Mineral Working in Avon Local Plan (MWALP) contained policies and proposals relating to restoration of the tips. MWALP policies and proposals have been reviewed. No proposals for these sites are put forward at this time.

Mineral Reserves

Active sites

C4.24 There are two surface mineral workings and one underground mine operating currently in Bath and North East Somerset.

C4.25  Stowey Quarry near Bishop Sutton is a small surface mineral working now producing “white lias” and “blue lias” limestones primarily for use as building and walling purposes stone and also for aggregate purposes. Stone is extracted by mechanical means.  Products from the quarry are used in construction and refurbishment of buildings within the district and as far afield as the Royal Opera House and Dover Town Hall .  The quarry covers an area of about 9ha.  It is located on the edge of the escarpment overlooking the Chew valley on land approximately 500m east of the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  It is accessed from an unclassified lane off the Stowey – Clutton road.  Areas of nature conservation and archaeological importance are located within 150m of the northern site boundary.  The location of the site and the nature of the surrounding topography means that it is at present largely hidden from wider views. 

 C4.26   Historically, actual output is estimated currently to be less than has been 5000 tonnes each year and historically has been considerably or less.  A maximum output of 180,000 tonnes each year is permitted following review[1] of the 1954 planning permission for stone extraction, although this is at present the subject of an appeal. The quarry is estimated to have a remaining workable reserve of about 170,000 tonnes.  A 3.75ha area of land adjacent to the eastern boundary of the current working was identified as a preferred area for extension in the MWALP.  It is estimated that this area would yield in the order of 480,000 tonnes of stone.  The void resulting from maximum extraction of stone both from the current site and preferred extension area is estimated to be around 1.7 million m³.

C4.27 The MWALP proposals for Stowey Quarry were are::

1. phased mineral extraction eastwards through the preferred area followed by backfilling with excavated and imported wastes and the progressive reclamation of the site for an agricultural use. Possible retention of the clay pigeon shoot and house;

2. removal of the plant and buildings and the reclamation of the plant base as in (i).

C4.28 The MWALP proposals have been reviewed. Revised proposals are set out at C4.87 – C4.89 below.

C4.29 Upper Lawn Quarry at Combe Down is a surface mineral working producing the Combe Down variety of Bath Stone for building, refurbish-ment, restoration and walling purposes. The quarry is effectively the last operational remnant of the complex of quarries and mines in the Combe Down area where stone was extracted for the construction of Bath. Stone is extracted by mechanical means. Products from the site are used in the construction and refurbishment of buildings within Bath and in other areas.

C4.30 The 1.4 Ha site is within just outside the Bristol-Bath Green Belt and Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is overlooked by residential property on St Winifred’s Drive. It is located on generally flat land. Access is via Shaft Road and St Winifred’s Drive. Land adjacent to the south-western and south-eastern boundaries is used as allotments. Land to the north-east is in residential use, whilst land to the north-west comprises a recreational area for a nearby school. Given the topography of the area and vegetation surrounding the perimeter of the quarry, the site is largely hidden from wider views. Output is limited by planning condition to 5000 tonnes each year. Planning permissions relating to the site recently were reviewed under the Environment Act 1995 and a new schedule of operating and restoration conditions imposed. Planning permission was granted in 2001 for an extension to the site which is believed will secure reserves until at least 2011

C4.31 The MWALP proposals for Upper Lawn Quarry were are:

1. perimeter landscaping around the boundaries of the preferred area;

2. development of a new access from Shaft Road to avoid future use of St Winifred’s Drive by vehicles serving both the masonry works and the quarry;

3. phased extraction in the preferred area followed by backfilling with excavated wastes;

4. possible retention of the masonry works following the cessation of quarrying and the use of imported stone.

C4.32 The MWALP proposals have been reviewed. Revised proposals are set out at C4.80 – C4.81 below.

C4.33 Hayes Wood Mine at Limpley Stoke produces high quality Bath Stone known as Stoke Ground Base Bed and Stoke Ground Top Bed for building purposes. Stone from the mine has been used in construction of Seven Dials in Bath, in restoration of Northampton Town Hall and in refurbishment of Buckingham Palace. The permitted area of the mine extends to approximately 29 Ha underlying land within the Bristol-Bath Green Belt and Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

C4.34 Stone is extracted by the pillar and stall method and cut into blocks underground before transportation to the surface. Mineral waste is deposited underground in worked-out areas. The stone blocks are transported to Yeovil for final cutting and processing. Apart from the mine administration buildings, car parking and stacking area off Midford Lane, there is little visual evidence of a working mineral extraction site.

C4.35 Hayes Wood Mine produces approximately 18,000 9-11,000 tonnes of stone each year.  Planning permission for a 22.62 ha extension to the site was granted in June 1996.  Reserves of saleable minerals were estimated at that time to be 395,850 tonnes.  It is considered that there are workable reserves at the site for at least 18 years’ production at current rates of output. 

C4.36 An extensive area of land between Hayes Wood to the north, Cleaves Wood to the west, the A36 to the east, and the District boundary to the south and encompassing the current mine was identified as an Area of Search for Bath Stone extraction in the MWALP.

C4.37 The MWALP proposals for Hayes Wood Mine were are:

1. Phased underground extraction in the Hayes Wood – Hog Wood area by the development of Hayes Wood Mine;

2. Improvements to the existing surface stacking ground at Hayes Wood Mine followed by its relocation;

3. Installation of new landscaped adits or shafts and surface stacking grounds elsewhere in the preferred area with new highway access to the A36 or B3110;

4. Removal of all surface installations and reclamation of cleared areas for an agricultural/forestry use.

C4.38 The MWALP proposals both for the Area of Search and the mine have been reviewed.  Revised proposals are set out at in paragraph C4.95 C4.82 below.

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Inactive sites with registered planning permissions

C4.39 There are currently 3 dormant mineral working sites in Bath and North East Somerset.

C4.40 North Wick Quarry at East Dundry is a clay pit. Planning permission has been registered covering an area of approximately 6.6 ha. The pit currently is dormant. The site has in the past produced "puddling" clay used for lining porous waterways and sealing joints in concrete and earth banks. Optimum extractable remaining reserves of clay at the site are estimated to be in the order of 2.3 and 2.5 million tonnes. Environmental Impact Assessment is likely to be required prior to determination of any proposal to recommence working.

C4.41 Proposals for North Wick Quarry in the MWALP were that the site should be restored to agriculture and/or forestry and that a reduction in the area to be worked would be desirable having regard to general environmental and landscape considerations. The MWALP proposals have been reviewed. No proposals for this site are made at this time.

C4.42 Queen Charlton Quarry near Keynsham is an unreclaimed quarry which in the past has produced lias limestone for building and for use in the manufacture of pre-cast concrete products. It is understood that the quarry has not operated since the 1950s. Planning permission has been registered over an area of approximately 17 ha although mineral extraction rights have been surrendered by agreement on a 2 ha parcel of land restored in the 1990’s. Having regard to nature conservation interests within the site, Environmental Impact Assessment is likely to be required prior to determination of any proposed new conditions. Details of remaining mineral reserves at the site are not available but are anticipated to be small. There were no proposals in the MWALP relating to this site.

C4.43 Mount Pleasant Quarry at Combe Down is an unreclaimed quarry which produced Bath Stone for building and for use in the manufacture of pre-cast concrete products. Planning permission has been registered over an area of approximately 0.7ha. Having regard to nature conservation interests within the site, Environmental Impact Assessment is likely to be required prior to determination of any proposed new conditions. The quarry has not operated since the mid-late 1980s. The remaining resource at the site is small and may not be economically workable.

C4.44 There were no proposals in the MWALP relating to this site. A planning application currently is being processed for development of the site for a recreational use.

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CURRENT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF MINERAL WORKINGS IN  B&NES BATH & NORTH EAST SOMERSET

C4.45 The District has few active mineral workings. Those that exist are comparatively small-scale in nature. At present, the principal minerals-related environmental impact issue in the District is ground stability issues resulting from underground stone mining at Combe Down in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is considered that the implications of ground stability issues in this area encompass planning issues of a broader nature than those normally associated with mineral extraction and restoration of mineral working sites. The Council has set up a dedicated project team of officers to deal with this issue. Proposals for remediation works are likely to be only tangentially related to minerals policy planning and will have more in common with major civil engineering works.

C4.46 Setting aside the Combe Down stone mines project, the environmental impacts of mineral working in Bath and North East Somerset can be divided between active and inactive sites.

Active sites

C4.47 Stowey Quarry: whilst planning permission for filling part of the quarry with inert wastes to assist reclamation exists, it is desirable, having regard to MPG7, that land used for mineral extraction is returned to a beneficial afteruse as quickly a possible.  However, at this quarry, large heaps of waste stone including one about 1.2ha in area and another of about 0.4ha (overburden and interburden) on the land surface together with a broken and uneven an irregular quarry floor are and little evidence of haphazard working and minimal effective reclamation and restoration to agriculture by backfilling quarried waste has not been successful, even though planning permission was also granted to raise levels in part of the quarry by the use of imported inert waste.  It is desirable, having regard to MPG7, that land used for mineral extraction is returned to a beneficial afteruse as quickly as possible.

C4.48 Views into the site are limited but its prominent location on the edge of the escarpment means that there is potential for waste heaps to become visually intrusive. Noise, dust, hours of working, output, traffic numbers and other material planning concerns are controlled by modern planning conditions.

C4.49 The changing context of waste management may result in a significant reduction in the availability of wastes suitable for reclamation of the site. Reclamation should therefore incorporate mineral wastes resulting from the extraction and processing of building and walling stone. For this reason, and to ensure that high quality building and walling stone is not put to low grade use, the processing on the site of minerals and mineral wastes for aggregate should be resisted. Having regard to the visually unobtrusive location of the site restoration to low-level may be an appropriate option.

C4.50 Upper Lawn Quarry: is largely hidden from view by the surrounding landform and vegetation. Operation of the quarry over many years has not given rise to complaints from residential property bordering the site. Noise, dust, hours of working, output, traffic numbers and other material planning concerns are controlled by modern planning conditions.

C4.51 The proximity of this currently innocuous site to a candidate Special Area of Conservation (Greater and Lesser Horseshoe bats) and to residential property, the potential loss of allotment land and the possibility of extensions to the site opening up views into the workings set the planning context for consideration of future working, reclamation and afteruse of the quarry.

C4.52 Hayes Wood Mine: although in a sensitive location in landscape terms, there is at present little visual intrusion from the pithead/stacking area. No complaints are on record relating to operation of the site. Noise, dust, hours of working, output, traffic numbers and other material planning concerns are controlled by modern planning conditions.

C4.53 Any potential increase in output from the site may result in a more intrusive pithead/stacking area.

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Inactive sites

Fuller’s Earth Works Site

C4.54 This site has long been regarded as an eyesore on the southern approach to Bath .  The plant is set some way back from the A367.  In summer it is partially screened by trees in leaf and is not readily visible.  In winter the derelict industrial building is more visibly intrusive and clashes with the predominantly rural open surrounding landscape.  Land to the north-east of the plant site requires reclamation in order to bring it back into beneficial agricultural use.  A planning application submitted in 2000 for redevelopment of the site currently is being considered. for offices and residential uses was subject of a call in inquiry and is awaiting the decision of the Secretary of State.

North Wick Quarry

C4.55 North Wick Quarry is currently inactive. Vegetation within the working area has naturally regenerated and the site has a disturbed, hummocky appearance. Access to the site is via narrow single-track unclassified roads with few passing places. Restoration of the site involving importation of materials is unlikely to prove acceptable on highway impact grounds. Any proposal to resume working will be subject either to a fresh planning application or an application for fresh operating and restoration conditions. Having regard to the potential scale of the reserve, to the sensitive hillside location and to the nature of the highways serving the site, an Environmental Statement is likely to be required to accompany any future applications for resumption of mineral extraction and/or restoration of the site.

Queen Charlton Quarry

C4.56 This site originally comprised four distinct areas. One area has been restored to agriculture and another – the former concrete works – is currently being reclaimed for an agricultural/nature conservation afteruse. The 6.0 ha area indicated on the proposals map is at present characteristic of an unreclaimed shallow mineral working - hummocky and uneven land overgrown with ruderal weeds. It is part of a larger area designated in the draft Wansdyke Local Plan as a Landscape Improvement Area. The site is a breeding habitat for skylark. Numbers of this species nationally have dramatically reduced in recent times. If the site is left untouched, it is anticipated that this valuable habitat will gradually disappear as the vegetation changes in accordance with natural progression. The site therefore requires sensitive reclamation in order to protect this habitat, to improve its appearance in landscape terms and to restore it to a beneficial afteruse.

Colliery spoil tips

C4.57 The MWALP made proposals for reclamation of four colliery spoil tips in the District:

• Marsh Lane (Farrington Gurney) – "remove/regrade for an agricultural use or industrial use in conformity with the Norton Radstock and Environs Local Plan. Not suitable as a processing plant location";

• Pensford (Wick Lane, Pensford) – "regrade top part of tip for agriculture or woodland use taking account of wildlife conservation importance of the site and the need to avoid exposure of industrial activities in the old pithead areas at Wick Lane";

• Springfield (Midsomer Norton) – "regrade/additional tree planting for site to act as an improved screen to adjoining commercial uses taking into account tree preservation order and the site’s archaeological importance"; and

• Old Mills (Midsomer Norton) – "regrade/additional tree planting, taking account of the wildlife conservation importance of the site, for uses in conformity with the Norton Radstock and Environs Local Plan".

C4.58 These tips have either been reclaimed or have now naturally regenerated to the extent that some now are a significant nature conservation resource. Tips such as Old Mills at Midsomer Norton are an important element in the industrial archaeology of the southern part of the District, and are distinctive landscape features. Proposals to remove the tips or to recover residual minerals within them should be resisted.

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GENERAL POLICIES

Safeguarding mineral resources

C4.59 Minerals are a finite and important resource both nationally and locally. Unlike most other forms of development mineral extraction can take place only where the mineral is found. Therefore it is essential that known or suspected occurrences of commercially valuable minerals are protected from development which might sterilise the potential for exploitation of the resource. In addition to the Preferred Areas and Area of Search for minerals set out below, an additional safeguard is required through designation of Minerals Consultation Areas (MCAs). MCAs ensure that the Mineral Planning Authority is informed of significant development proposals which may adversely affect minerals resources and has the opportunity to comment upon or oppose them. At the same time, they are not an indicator to the minerals industry that minerals development within an MCA is necessarily acceptable. Whilst Government advice is that MCAs will not normally be needed in a Unitary Development Plan or District-Wide Local Plan, it is considered nevertheless that the precaution of designating MCAs is desirable.

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Efficient use of minerals

C4.60             Given the economic and environmental need to conserve resources, clearly it is essential to make best use of extracted minerals.  The MPA has no influence on the end use of minerals and mineral products.  However it can contribute to the efficient use of minerals by seeking to ensure, for example, that high grade minerals are not processed for low grade applications. and that where necessary low grade materials are retained on site for land reclamation purposes rather than being sold for use as bulk fill in development projects.

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Secondary and Recycled Materials (see note 3)

C4.61 Production and use of secondary and recycled materials is a key element in sustainable minerals development, particularly in the case of the high volume aggregates industry.  Whilst initiatives have been slow to gather momentum, the Landfill Tax and the forthcoming Aggregates Levy are focusing waste management, construction and minerals industry attention on this area. Implementation of the EC Landfill Directive in 2001 will be an added incentive. It is anticipated that demand for secondary and recycled materials will increase during the Plan period. Consequently, there will be a commensurate demand for production facilities. This issue is recognised in the Waste Management section of the Plan. The production of secondary and recycled materials could result in unacceptable environmental impacts – for example through additional traffic movements and noise from crushing and screening plant. The environ-mental benefits and disbenefits of a proposal will therefore need to be weighed carefully.

C4.62   Production of secondary and recycled materials is, on the face of it, to be encouraged.  But it must be borne in mind that this may not always represent the best practicable environmental option for management of the wastes involved. Moreover, as more construction and demolition wastes are recycled there is likely to be a greater shortfall in availability of materials suitable for quarry reclamation and restoration purposes.  The MPA considers that in principle it is desirable for some extracted materials to remain on site, even if they can be marketed, it will be necessary on non-aggregate producing mineral extraction sites to retain materials which potentially could be suitable for recycling in order to assist with reclamation and restoration of the site.  The amount to be retained will depend on the circumstances at the site. The exportation of processed or unprocessed  wastes from building and walling stone quarries or other non-aggregate sites will therefore be resisted.

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PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT

Primary Aggregates (see note 4)

C4.63 The extraction of minerals for production of aggregates is an activity which in many cases has an environmental impact greater than that which can be expected from extraction for production of building and walling stone. Aggregate producing quarries generally are larger, more intensive operations which potentially can be more environmentally disruptive by reason of land-take, visual impact, noise and traffic generation and related issues.

C4.64 National target levels for production of primary aggregates are apportioned by region and thence by county. In the former Avon county, the apportionment is between South Gloucestershire and North Somerset. Draft Joint Replacement Structure Plan policy 26 sets out levels of production for both Unitary Authority areas. Having regard to strategic planning policy, Bath and North East Somerset is not required to contribute to provision of aggregates to meet former Avon’s regional apportionment. Bearing in mind the potential environmental impact of primary aggregate production and the strategic planning position, the MPA considers that it is appropriate to resist proposals for primary aggregate production in Bath and North East Somerset unless the material to be produced is not obtainable from quarries in South Gloucestershire or North Somerset.

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New Mineral Working Sites outside Preferred Areas or Areas of Search

C4.65 Whilst provision of minerals is essential for economic growth and development, mineral extraction can be environmentally damaging. It is important therefore to control tightly where mineral extraction can take place. One purpose of this section of the Plan is to provide the public and minerals industry with a degree of certainty as to areas where mineral extraction possibly may take place. The allocation of Preferred Areas and Areas of Search for minerals is the means by which this is achieved. The MPA will resist proposals for development outside these areas unless the mineral to be worked cannot be supplied from existing operations within the Avon sub-region or by extension to existing quarries or, where appropriate, by reactivation of dormant sites with registered planning permissions.

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Planning applications for minerals development

C4.66 In considering proposals for minerals development, it is important for the environment, for local communities and for prospective developers that the Minerals Planning Authority has sufficient high-quality information upon which properly to evaluate proposals and base sound decisions. Planning applications for minerals development will require screening under Environmental Impact Assessment legislation. Those applications required to be accompanied by an Environmental Statement will contain detailed information specific to the site and proposed development. Policy M8 sets the context for the MPA’s requirements for the content of planning applications which, as appropriate to the nature of the development and location of the site, should include details of:

• implications for the health and safety of the public including stability of the site during and following working and restoration;

• impact on amenity (including the potential effects of noise, fumes, vibration and dust);

• cumulative impact of the proposal in relation to previous and current minerals development in the area;

• visual impact and effect on landscape;

• traffic generation, its environ-mental impact and the suitability of the public highway to cater for quarry traffic;

• the feasibility of alternative forms of transportation;

• effect on the flow and quality of groundwater, surface water, land drainage and flooding;

• impact on nature conservation;

• impact on archaeology;

• impact on the historic character of any registered park, garden or area of special historic interest;

• effect on buildings or structures of architectural or historic interest, Conservation Areas and the World Heritage Site of Bath;

• impact upon public rights of way;

• impact on agriculture and forestry;

• impact on existing or potential recreational use;

• restoration of the site, aftercare (where appropriate) and the acceptability of the afteruse proposed;

• scope for limiting the duration of working.

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Traffic and Highways Transport

 C4.67   Although in the past waterways have been used to transport minerals in the Bath & North East Somerset area, this has for some time been replaced almost entirely by road transport.  Traffic generated by minerals amd and waste development can have a significant impact on the environment, on highway and highway safety and on amenity.  Noise, dust, vibration and fumes together with traffic congestion, damage to road surfaces and verges and potentially increased accident risk are amongst the issues which can arise.

 C4.68   Planning applications should ensure that the most environmentally acceptable method of transport is employed to move minerals and that in the case of road transport, the highway network serving the site is capable of handling the traffic – both in terms of volume and weight – that will be generated over the life of the proposed development.  Whilst upgrading the highway may, in some circumstances, be a solution, prospective developers should note that in many areas upgrading or realignment will be unacceptable if the nature of the road is changed to the extent that it will compromise its character or the character of the environment and the amenities of communities through which the road passes.

C4.69 Proposals may, as appropriate, be subject to the following provisions:

• planning conditions limiting vehicle numbers, output and/or times during which vehicles may access the site;

• planning obligations stipulating preferred access and egress routes;

• provision of new or improved access arrangements; and

• financial contributions where highway improvements are required and are acceptable to the MPA.

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Reclamation, restoration and aftercare

C4.70 National policy on the reclamation of mineral workings is set out in Minerals Planning Guidance (MPG) note 7. The principal aim of national policy is to ensure reclamation of sites at the earliest opportunity and to a standard appropriate to the intended afteruse. Where there is doubt whether satisfactory reclamation can be achieved the MPA should consider whether planning permission should be granted.

C4.71 Prospective minerals developers should not view reclamation, restoration and aftercare as a secondary consideration. These issues must be addressed rigorously at an early stage in the conception of a scheme. Matters such as site orientation, phasing of working and progressive restoration, incorporation and enhancement of natural features and attributes, screen planting (in advance), soil handling/storage and availability of restoration materials must all be taken into account as integral elements of the overall proposal.

C4.72 A sensitive but imaginative approach to afteruse should be pursued. Nature conservation and recreation are potential afteruses of minerals sites alongside traditional uses such as agriculture or forestry.

C4.73 Restored sites often are not immediately capable of supporting fully the intended afteruse. A period of time – normally five years – is needed during which aftercare of the site can be managed, soils can be cultivated and fertilised, drainage can be monitored and adjustments made and so on. Aftercare schemes normally involve a stepped programme of treatment and an annual appraisal of progress towards objectives. Afteruses such as nature conservation will require, in addition to aftercare, management plans to ensure that habitats and wildlife thrive. Management plans normally will be over a longer timescale than aftercare schemes.

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PROPOSALS

Stowey Quarry

C4.74 The current mineral operator intends significantly to increase output from the site in comparison with average annual outputs since operations began in 1945 (see note 5) . The site currently is producing aggregates as well as building and walling stone. It is considered that a material increase in output from the site will change the nature of the mineral operation from a small-scale building stone quarry to a large-scale intensive extraction operation possibly involving the production of aggregates. Whilst the Mineral Planning Authority (MPA) is unable to amend the current planning permission, the output limit imposed following the Environment Act review is accepted by the MPA only within the narrow and interrelated context provided by the practical limitations of the minerals review process and the fact that the existing 1953 permission did not regulate the level of output from the site at all.

C4.75 Extension of the site will require a new planning permission. Development of an intensive, higher-output operation will be unacceptable on policy grounds and could not be justified by local, regional or national need for either aggregates or building stone. Planning applications relating to extension of the quarry for production of materials other than building and walling stone at output levels compatible with historical output levels at the site will be evaluated against policies including M1, M3 and M6.

C4.76 There has been no material change in planning circumstances since the MWALP allocation relating to Stowey Quarry and no planning application has come forward for extension of the site. The Preferred Area for extension of the quarry has therefore been carried forward and is shown on the Proposals Map. Having regard to the sensitive location ineffectual reclamation of the quarry it will be necessary for appropriate reclamation of the worked out areas to be clearly in hand before the MPA considers a planning application for extension of working into the preferred area. Winning and working of mineral within the preferred area should be phased to ensure that reclamation of the site keeps pace with extraction. Following reclamation the site should be put to an agricultural/nature conservation afteruse.

Upper Lawn Quarry

C4.77 Planning permission for a small extension into the allotments to the south-east of the site was granted in 1994. This area was considered to have sufficient reserves for a further 20 year’s production. It transpired subsequently that the area contained mostly unusable stone. A 1.2ha area of land adjacent to the south – western and south-eastern boundaries of the current working is identified as a preferred area for extension of the quarry in the MWALP.

C4.78 It is important that any future planning applications for extensions of the quarry are supported by reliable geological evidence in order to avoid unnecessary loss of allotment and recreational land and provide for reinstatement of allotments and recreational land on a quid pro quo basis as part of quarry restoration proposals.

C4.79 The site is close to a candidate Special Area of Conservation incorporating Sites of Special Scientific Interest in respect of greater and lesser horseshoe bats. The quarry has features of geological interest. Proposals for further working and restoration of the site must safeguard these interests. The amenities of residential properties near the south-eastern and north-eastern boundaries of the site must be safeguarded from noise, dust and general disturbance arising from activity at the quarry. Operations at present do not give rise to complaints. It is considered important that the quarry remains as a small building stone producer so that the present innocuous nature of activity is maintained.

C4.80 The MWALP proposals for the site refer to afteruse of the quarry as "possible retention of the masonry works following the cessation of quarrying and the use of imported stone". An afteruse of this nature would require planning permission. Having regard to the nature conservation interests within and near to the site, to the proximity of residential property, to the constraints on access to the site and to the potentially extensive floor area (in excess of 3.0 ha) that may remain after cessation of extraction, it is considered that use of the entire site as a masonry works will not be acceptable. A mixed afteruse incorporating reinstatement of recreational land and enhancement of the nature conservation/amenity potential of the site together with a small masonry works is preferred. Progressive restoration of the site should be compatible with the scale and nature of this afteruse.

C4.81 The preferred area set out in the MWALP has been reviewed. A revised preferred area is shown on the proposals map. The preferred area is in two phases. Phase 1 is a 0.4 ha area adjacent to the south western boundary. Phase 2 a 0.35 ha area adjacent to the northern boundary. Extraction and reclamation within Phase 1 should be completed before extraction begins in Phase 2. Permission will not be granted for extraction within any phase which will release reserves sufficient for more than 20 years supply at an output level of 5,000 tonnes per year or less. Afteruse as a masonry yard together with nature conservation and recreation may be acceptable subject to planning consent.

Hayes Wood Mine

C4.82 It is considered that sufficient permitted reserves of mineral exist at the mine to ensure supply through the Plan period. No Preferred Area for extension is proposed. It is nevertheless considered that part of the extensive Area of Search for minerals set out in the MWALP should be carried forward in this Plan, and this is shown on the Proposals Map. It is considered that a smaller Area of Search is appropriate on the basis that no proposals have come forward for development of mineral workings in the area since 1993 other than proposals for extension of Hayes Wood Mine.

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• Stowey Quarry, Bishop Sutton;

• Upper Lawn Quarry, south of Bath;

• The following site is allocated as an Area of Search:

• Land at north of Freshford.