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Minerals and waste

Minerals and waste

Central and Eastern Berkshire Joint Minerals and Waste Local Plan

Wokingham Borough Council, Bracknell Forest Council, Reading Borough Council and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (collectively referred to as ‘Central and Eastern Berkshire Authorities’) have produced a Joint Minerals and Waste Plan to guide minerals and waste decision-making in the area.

The Joint Minerals and Waste Plan builds on previous minerals and waste plans for the Berkshire area. It sets out a new vision and replaces the current policies and provides details of strategic sites to deliver the vision.

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The council adopted the Central and Eastern Berkshire Joint Minerals and Waste Plan on 19 January 2023.

The adopted Joint Plan is now part of the council's Development Plan and will be used to determine relevant planning applications. 

You can take a look at the Joint Plan and find out more in the tabs below. 

The Joint Minerals and Waste Plan was adopted by the council on 19 January 2023.

The relevant documents are below:

Further information about the different stages of the plan process can be found in the tabs below and on the Joint Minerals and Waste Plan website.

This plan supersedes the Replacement Minerals Local Plan (2001) and the Waste Local Plan for Berkshire (1998).

Challenges to the adoption of the Joint Minerals and Waste Plan

Applications can be made to the High Court under section 113 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.

Applications must state that the document is one or both of the following:

  • Not within the appropriate powers
  • A procedural requirement has not been complied with

The deadline for submitting challenges is Friday 3 March 2023.

Two Planning Inspectors, Rachel A Bust (Lead Inspector) and Nicholas Palmer, were appointed to undertake an independent examination of the soundness of the Plan. Four hearing sessions took place in September and October 2021. 

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

A consultation on the proposed Main Modifications took place from February to April 2022. Full details of the consultation can be found on the Joint Minerals and Waste Plan website. All comments relating to the Main Modifications were submitted to the Inspectors via the Programme Officer. 

On Thursday 25 February 2021 the Central and Eastern Berkshire Authorities submitted the Joint Minerals and Waste Plan and supporting documents for independent examination.

The Proposed Submission Plan was consulted on for six weeks, between 3 September and 15 October 2020. The purpose of this consultation was to consider compliance with all legal requirements, including the Duty to Co-operate, and soundness. 

The Proposed Submission Plan, the evidence base and all representations received have been submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination under Regulation 22 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended).  

The Proposed Submission Documents are available to view on the Joint Minerals and Waste Plan website.

The most recent Focused Regulation 18 Consultation: Sand and Gravel Provision and Operator Performance ('the Focused Consultation') ran for six weeks, beginning on 11 February and closing at 5pm on 23 March 2020.

The purpose of the Focused 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 this focused consultation.  

Read the Joint Central and Eastern Berkshire Focused Regulation 18 Consultation summary report (PDF document) which details the outcomes of the consultation.

The Central and Eastern Berkshire Authorities have carried out three 'Call for Sites' exercises in support of the Minerals and Waste Plan. A 'Call for Sites' process involves asking landowners and mineral and waste site operators to put forward site proposals for consideration for mineral and waste uses. Hampshire County Council asked mineral and waste site operators and land owners to put forward site proposals for consideration for minerals and waste uses. This includes any aspirations for existing sites to either extend or widen the range of operations or facilities.

An original 'Call for Sites' was carried out between 13 March to 5 May 2017, a second call ran from 23 November 2018 to 11 January 2019, and a third from 9 October to 22 November 2019. The further rounds of consultation were to seek nominations for additional land, which had not previously been submitted, to be considered for future minerals and waste operations in the Plan area.

A Draft Joint Minerals and Waste Plan was subject to consultation during the Summer 2018. The Draft Plan (formerly referred to as Preferred Options) is the second stage in plan-preparation. The purpose of this consultation was to engage the community in discussion on the long term management of minerals and waste. It was also an opportunity to gather more local evidence to determine the plan policies and site allocations.

The Draft Plan consultation ran from Monday 6 August 2018 to Friday 12 October 2018.

To see all the consultation documents and the Draft Plan consultation summary, visit the Joint Minerals and Waste Plan website.

The Issues and Options consultation sought to engage the community in discussion on the issues for managing minerals and waste for the next 20 years. It was also an opportunity to gather more evidence to inform the Options for the plan policies and site allocations.

The Issues and Options consultation ran for six weeks, from 9 June 2017 to 5pm 21 July 2017. Hampshire Services, (part of Hampshire County Council working in collaboration with the Central and Eastern Berkshire Authorities) ran the consultation and details can be found on the Joint Minerals and Waste Plan website

This is the Local Aggregate Assessment (LAA) 2018 (PDF document) for Central and Eastern Berkshire and covers the administrative areas of the plan-making partners (Bracknell Forest Council, Reading Borough Council, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and Wokingham Borough Council). In addition, information has been provided for Slough, where available. The purpose of the LAA is to detail the current and predicted situation in Central and Eastern Berkshire with respect to all aspects of aggregate supply.

The previous LAA is available below:

The report includes information on remaining allocations in the Replacement Minerals Local Plan for Berkshire. It also puts the findings in the context of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) (PDF document) and Guidance on the Managed Aggregates Supply System (MASS) (PDF document.)

Monitoring reports

See the monitoring reports below:

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