News Release : 15 February 2005

NEW NATIONAL MINERALS STATEMENT IS TOO WEAK

The new draft Government statement on minerals is timid and poorly linked to core Government planning and sustainability policies, says the South East England Regional Assembly’s Regional Planning Committee.

Responding to Government consultation, the Committee considers that the consultation draft of the new Minerals Policy Statement 1(MPS1) is not consistent with the Government’s core policies on sustainable development published last week. Policy on sustainability (Planning Policy Statement 1) emphasises the need to be more efficient in using natural resources such as minerals and to increase rates of recycling and re-use.

The new Minerals Statement also fails to mirror positive recommendations, recently made by an independent panel about the new Regional Minerals Strategy published by the Assembly. The Panel held an Examination in Public and published its report placing emphasis on increased recycling and challenging regional targets.

Use of mineral resources must be more sustainable
The Minerals Statement covers core policies and principles for minerals management in England including survey, safeguarding, protection of heritage and countryside, transportation, environmental protection, efficient use and restoration. These issues are included in the Assembly’s Regional Minerals Strategy, which has a sharper focus on more sustainable use of resources than the new Statement.

Councillor Keith Mitchell, Chairman of the Regional Planning Committee at the South East England Regional Assembly said: “The draft national Minerals Policy Statement is a wasted opportunity. It fails to emphasise the need for a step change in attitudes and behaviour towards the use of limited mineral reserves. We want to see a clear national strategy with greater emphasis on recycling and promotion of more sustainable resource use. This is the emphasis in our own Minerals Strategy, which was recently endorsed by an independent panel. The Government now needs to catch up and join up its own policies better.”

The Committee wants to see a redraft of the Statement emphasising and promoting changes in behaviour within the Sustainable Development Framework.

Mike Gwilliam, Director of Planning and Transport at the Assembly, commented: “We have waited a long time for the new Minerals Statement, but I am afraid it has not been worth the wait. Our own regional policy is much sharper. We have offered to help the Department to substantially redraft the Statement and hope they will listen.”

Contact

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Heather Bolton, Head of Communications - 01483 555220

Notes to editors:

1. The Minerals Policy Statement 1 can be viewed on the website of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
2. The Assembly’s South East Plan will be updated following new minerals guidance.
3. Examples of minerals are: chalk, clay, sand and gravel. Raw materials that are important for the manufacturing and construction industry.
4. The Regional Assembly is the “voluntary regional chamber” for the South East. It was established in January 1999 to give a representative voice to the South East region which covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, and Surrey.
5. The Assembly is made up of 111 members including elected councillors nominated by the region’s local authorities and 37 representatives from other sectors of the community (including business, trades unions, education, housing, health, sports, culture, tourism, faith groups, environmental, community and voluntary organisations).
6. The Assembly has three areas of core business:
1. It is the representative voice of the South East, engaging and representing its member organisations and, through them, the wider public.
2. The Assembly has a specific role under the Regional Development Agencies' Act 1998 to ensure the accountability of the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) to the region.
3. The Assembly has been the Regional Planning Body for the South East since April 2001. It has responsibility for proposing strategic planning and transport policies to Government.

Last updated: 21 August 2007