Surrey Minerals and Waste Development Scheme May 2025 to 2029

Introduction

Section 15 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended by the Localism Act 2011) requires Local Planning Authorities to prepare and maintain a Local Development Scheme. Surrey County Council is the Minerals and Waste Planning Authority for Surrey and has therefore prepared a Minerals and Waste Development Scheme for the county.

The Minerals and Waste Development Scheme is a statutory document which identifies adopted minerals and waste development plan documents which form part of the Minerals and Waste Development Framework for Surrey and sets out which development plan documents the Minerals and Waste Planning Authority proposes to prepare and / or update (including associated timetables) in the four-year period up until 2029. It also identifies supplementary planning guidance which is a material consideration in determining planning applications and explains how environmental and other assessments will be integrated into the preparation of the emerging Minerals and Waste Local Plan.

The Minerals and Waste Development Scheme is a living document and will be periodically reviewed to take account of progress in preparing development plan documents and material changes to national planning policy or relevant legislation / regulations etc. It may also require amendment in response to actions identified in Surrey County Council’s Local Aggregate Assessment and / or Authority Monitoring Report which are published annually.

Minerals and waste development framework

The Minerals and Waste Development Framework for Surrey comprises several adopted development plan documents which are available to view on Surrey County Council’s web pages:

• Surrey Waste Local Plan 2020.
• Surrey Minerals Plan Core Strategy 2011.
• Surrey Primary Aggregates Development Plan Document 2011.
• Surrey Minerals Site Restoration Supplementary Planning Document 2011.
• Surrey Aggregates Recycling Joint Development Plan Document 2013.
• Surrey County Council Statement of Community Involvement 2019.
• Annual Monitoring Report.
• Local Aggregates Assessment.

The Minerals and Waste Development Framework forms part of the Development Plan for Surrey, meaning that it will need to be considered in all relevant planning decisions taken in the county including those relating to the preparation of development plan documents.

A full description of each development plan document which makes up the Minerals and Waste Development Framework, the hierarchical relationship between them and details of adoption are provided in Appendix 1. Information on how and when development plan documents will be reviewed is provided in Appendix 2.

A Minerals and Waste Policies Map has also been prepared in support of the Minerals and Waste Development Framework, which shows the spatial location and context of existing minerals and waste management sites and identifies relevant allocations, areas of search, safeguarding areas and consultation areas etc.

Monitoring and review

Local plan review

Regulation 10A of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2017 requires Surrey County Council to review its development plan documents every five years to determine whether they remain effective and consistent with national planning policy.

Comprehensive reviews of the Surrey Minerals Plan Core Strategy 2011, Surrey Primary Aggregates Development Plan Document 2011 and Surrey Aggregates Recycling Joint Development Plan Document 2013 (as a collective) were conducted in 2014 and 2019 to evaluate their 'soundness' and conformity with the National Planning Policy Framework. The 2014 review concluded that no immediate changes were required. While the 2019 review concluded that while the adopted minerals development plan documents remained broadly in conformity with national planning policy, there were some important areas which required attention:

• The depletion of land allocated for primary aggregate extraction, requiring new reserves to be identified to meet future demand.
• Policy updates required to reflect national policy changes, including (at the time) impending Biodiversity Net Gain requirements.
• The UK Government’s commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, necessitating a review of sustainability policies.

Minerals development plan documents have not been reviewed since 2019, and the Surrey Waste Local Plan 2020 has not been reviewed since its adoption in 2020. However, Surrey County Council is preparing a joint Minerals and Waste Local Plan which will replace the existing Minerals and Waste Development Framework once adopted. As such a review of existing minerals and waste development plan documents is not imminent, although an internal review to assess conformity with national policy will be carried out following the Government’s planning reforms, expected to be published in late 2025.

In the interim, the effectiveness of existing development plan documents are reviewed annually through the Authority Monitoring Report and Local Aggregate Assessment processes.

Authority monitoring report

In accordance with Section 35 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended by the Localism Act 2011 and the Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017) the Minerals and Waste Planning Authority prepares an annual Authority Monitoring Report which:

• Reports on the progress made in meeting targets and milestones identified in adopted development plan documents.
• Where targets and milestones have not been met, identifies underlying challenges and what steps will be taken to address these.
• Monitors the extent to which policies are being implemented and any policy areas where adjustment, revision or change is needed.
• Identifies any material changes to the evidence base which may affect targets/milestones or policies in adopted development plan documents.

In 2023, the Authority Monitoring Report monitoring and reporting period changed from a financial year to a calendar year. This change was made to make all data comparable across the monitoring period and provide reporting consistency across other monitoring mechanisms such as the Local Aggregate Assessment.

Local aggregate assessment

Paragraph 226 of the National Planning Policy 2024 requires the Minerals and Waste Planning Authority to plan for a steady and adequate supply of aggregates, including through the preparation of an annual Local Aggregate Assessment. This assessment is informed by an annual industry survey and sets out:

• The latest aggregate sales, trends and reserves.
• An assessment of the balance between supply and demand.
• A forecast of demand for future years based on past sales and other relevant information.
• The Annual Provision Rate for primary aggregates.

Other documents and guidance

Statement of community involvement

Regulation 10A of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2017 requires that Surrey County Council review its Statement of Community Involvement every five years.

The Statement of Community Involvement sets out the steps Surrey County Council will take to involve residents and other stakeholders in the preparation of minerals and waste development documents and determination of associated planning applications.

The most recent Statement of Community Involvement published on Surrey County Council's web pages was adopted in October 2019 and is in the process of being reviewed. This review will ensure that the document remains relevant and consistent with national planning policy and reflects best practice in terms of stakeholder engagement.

Supplementary planning documents

Supplementary Planning Documents seek to amplify minerals and waste development plan documents and provide further detail and guidance to stakeholders. In this regard the Surrey Minerals Site Restoration Supplementary Planning Document 2011 sets out best practice in the restoration of mineral workings and restoration techniques and provides indicative restoration schemes for all Preferred Areas for primary aggregates and Areas of Search for silica sand, as identified in the Surrey Primary Aggregates Development Plan Document 2011 and Surrey Minerals Plan Core Strategy 2011.

Emerging minerals and waste framework

Move Towards a Joint Minerals and Waste Local Plan

In November 2020, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet resolved to begin the preparation of the county’s first joint Minerals and Waste Local Plan recognising that the minerals development framework requires updating, and to address a range of challenges. These include a changing climate, biodiversity loss, and the growing overlap between minerals and waste management development particularly the positive role recycling can play in conserving and keeping primary materials in use for as long as possible to prevent waste. The Minerals and Waste Local Plan will be underpinned by a positive 15-year vision and seek to deliver sustainable minerals and waste management development that provides for a steady and adequate supply of minerals and sufficient capacity to manage Surrey’s waste over that period.

Preparation of the Minerals and Waste Local Plan presents opportunities to meaningfully engage with residents and other stakeholders about the importance of sustainable minerals and waste management development and their needs relevant to land-use planning and the twin challenges of a changing climate and biodiversity loss. It also provides for several other advantages including:

• A single accessible development plan document which provides certainty and clarity to stakeholders over a single plan-period.
• A local plan that is consistent with legislation and national policy and supports contemporary local strategies and policy.
• Alignment and consolidation of multiple timetables for review of and updates to development plan documents.
• Co-ordinated, complementary and consistent approach to minerals and waste management development.
• More effective plan monitoring and reporting.
• Resource optimisation and minimisation of costs.

Between November 2021 and March 2022, the Minerals and Waste Planning Authority undertook a Regulation 18 Issues and Options public consultation to formally notify stakeholders of Surrey County Council’s intention to prepare the Minerals and Waste Local Plan, find out what is important to them about minerals and waste management development, and scope relevant challenges to preparing the plan. This 16-week consultation was accompanied by a ‘call for sites’ to identify land that may be suitable for future minerals and waste management development. The outcomes of this first consultation exercise were published in a summary report in September 2022.

The next consultation relating to the Minerals and Waste Local Plan will take place in June 2027. This will comprise the Regulation 18 Preferred Options public consultation and include publication of the draft Minerals and Waste Local Plan. The draft plan will set out Surrey County Council’s preferred spatial vision for future minerals and waste management development in the county together with preferred strategic objectives which need to be met to realise that vision. The preferred vision and strategic objectives will be linked to a range of strategic and non-strategic policies the implementation and performance of which will be monitored using indicators and targets. The draft Minerals and Waste Local Plan will comprise four elements: strategic approach and policies; site allocations; non-strategic policies; and an implementation and monitoring framework.

The Minerals and Waste Local Plan is expected to be adopted in 2029, as set out in the timetable provided at Appendix 2. Following public examination by the Secretary of State and adoption by Surrey County Council the Minerals and Waste Local Plan will replace existing minerals and waste development plan documents.

Sustainability appraisals, strategic environmental assessments and habitat regulations assessments

Sustainability appraisals and strategic environmental assessments

A Sustainability Appraisal, incorporating a Strategic Environmental Assessment, is being undertaken as part of the preparation process for the Minerals and Waste Local Plan. The Sustainability Appraisal is an iterative process which appraises the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of the plan as it moves through the various stages of plan-making. It will inform the preparation of the draft plan and its preferred strategy and policy direction following the Regulation 18 Issues and Options public consultation. Sustainability Appraisal reports will continue to be published at each public consultation stage in the preparation process for the Minerals and Waste Local Plan.

In practice the Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment processes are combined, and the findings and recommendations of the appraisal and assessment will be set out in a single report and be accompanied by a non-technical summary.

Habitat regulations assessments

A Habitat Regulations Assessment is also being undertaken as part of the preparation process for the Minerals and Waste Local Plan. The Habitat Regulations Assessment is also an iterative process that assesses the potential impacts of the plan on the conservation of European Designated sites. The first iteration of the Habitat Regulations Assessment supporting the preparation of the Minerals and Waste Local Plan will be published as part of the Regulation 18 Preferred Options public consultation and will inform its preferred strategy and policy direction. Updates to the Habitat Regulations Assessment will be published at each public consultation relating to the preparation of the Minerals and Waste Local Plan.

Appendix 1 – The Development Plan

The Development Plan for Surrey includes the Minerals and Waste Development Framework, other development plan documents and other relevant documents. These are set out in hierarchical order below:

1. Regional Policies

2. Surrey County Council, District and Borough and Neighbourhood DPDs

National planning policy documents

National planning policy documents do not form part of the Development Plan but are material considerations in making planning decisions and preparing development plan documents. These include:

• National Planning Policy Framework
• National Planning Policy for Waste
• National Planning Practice Guidance

Appendix 2 – Minerals and Waste Local Plan preparation timeline

The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 set out the legal framework for plan-making in England. Below are the key regulations relevant to the plan-making process:

Regulation 18 – Issues and Options / Preferred Options Public Consultations

• Early-stage consultation requirements for Local Planning Authorities.
• Local Planning Authorities must notify stakeholders of their intention to prepare or update a development plan document and invite representations on its content.
• Issues and Options consultation feedback informs the scope, vision, and key themes of the development plan documents.
• Preferred Options consultation includes publication of draft development plan document (including preferred site allocations).

Regulation 19 – Pre-Submission Local Plan

• Requires Local Planning Authorities to publish a pre-submission version of the development plan document and invite formal representations before submission to the Secretary of State for examination in public.
• Minimum consultation period of six weeks.
• Representations from stakeholders are limited to legal compliance and soundness issues.

Regulation 22 – Submission to the Secretary of State

The Local Planning Authority must submit a final development plan document, evidence base, and Reg 18 and Reg 19 consultation responses to the Secretary of State for examination in public.

Regulation 23 and 24 – Examination in Public

• The development plan document undergoes examination by a Planning Inspector, who assesses whether it is sound and legally compliant.
• A public hearing is held where stakeholders make representations and provide evidence.

Regulation 25 – Inspector’s Report

The Planning Inspector publishes a report including recommendations as to whether the development plan document should be adopted, modified, or withdrawn.

Regulation 26 – Adoption of the Local Plan

If the Planning Inspector resolves that the development plan document is sound, the Local Planning Authority can formally adopt it as part of the statutory development framework and Development Plan.

Minerals and Waste Local Plan preparation timeline