Partial Review of the South East Plan:
Revised Apportionment of Primary Land-won Aggregates

A reliable supply of minerals for construction is essential for the economy, and for building the homes and infrastructure that we all need. It is important that sufficient provision is made through the planning system, taking into account the environmental effects of extraction and distribution.

The Regional Assembly is reviewing the policy in Regional Planning Guidance 9 (RPG9) and the draft South East Plan that splits provision of land-won aggregates into sub-regional allocations for each Minerals Planning Authority area (generally county or unitary council areas). Public consultation ended on 8 August 2008.

The Assembly submitted our review of policy M3 of the South East Plan to Government on Monday 2 March 2009. The policy is about the amount of primary aggregates (sand, gravel and crushed rock) that each minerals planning authority (the county or unitary council) should be planning to provide.

Government-run consultation started with the submission and ends at 5.00pm on Friday 26 June 2009. The next stage in the process will be handled by independent planning inspectors, appointed by Government, who will convene an Examination in Public - scheduled to commence in October this year
Assembly submission - 11.5 MB
Submission letter - 78 KB
Covering letter - 52 KB
Sustainability appraisal - 330 KB

The need for a review was identified by an independent panel that oversaw the Examination in Public of the changes to RPG9 in 2004. It recommended that the review is based on a methodology that takes account of a range of factors, such as the need to protect the environment and reduce the need for long distance transport.

The Assembly consulted on these documents that informed the subsequent stage of the partial minerals review process:
Consultation Draft Project Plan and Statement of Public Participation - 139 KB
Consultation Draft Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report - 246 KB
Scoping Report Annex A (Review of Regional and National Strategies) - 218 KB

Consultation on these documents closed on 30 March 2007.

British Geological Survey Review

In 2006, the Regional Assembly commissioned the British Geological Survey (BGS) to carry out a study to identify potential resources of aggregate and brick clay in the South East together with information on international and national environmental designations associated with these areas.

This research was completed and commended to the Assembly by the South East England Regional Aggregates Working Party (SEERAWP) in September 2006 and informed the second stage of the partial minerals review process.

Documents relating to the BGS research are available to download below:
British Geological Survey Report - 4.49 MB

Berkshire Maps - 1.37 MB
Buckinghamshire Maps - 2.33 MB
East Sussex Maps - 2.21 MB
Hampshire Maps - 2.47 MB
Kent Maps - 3.08 MB
Oxfordshire Maps - 2.80 MB
Surrey Maps - 2.23 MB
West Sussex Maps - 2.29 MB