The changes have been made following a review aimed at making sure planning policies for waste and minerals in the county remain up to date and in line with national policy. Waste and mineral plans must be reviewed by law every five years.
The Waste and Minerals Plan is used to guide planning applications for waste management and minerals activities in Brighton & Hove, East Sussex including part of the South Downs National Park.
Take part in the public consultation:
The updated plan includes a review of the supply of aggregates such as sand, clay, gravel and crushed stones. Maintaining a reliable supply of aggregate is important for the construction of buildings and for future local development.
There are no proposals for new mineral extraction or waste management sites and all three authorities encourage developers to use recycled aggregates wherever possible. Supplies will be imported by ship, rail and road and will also include recycled aggregates.
This approach maintains capacity for transferring minerals at wharves such as Shoreham and Newhaven, and sites to process recycled aggregates.
Another policy change includes a new requirement to secure net gains in biodiversity through planning applications.
East Sussex County Council, Brighton & Hove City Council and the South Downs National Park Authority have carefully considered whether to proceed with the consultation given the current emergency measures put in place by the government.
In the light of this we have agreed to extend the period of consultation to 12 weeks, which we will extend further if required. Closing date for comments on the changes is 3 August.
If you are unable to access the consultation online and require printed copies of the consultation documents, please contact our planning policy team on by email wasteandmineralsdf@eastsussex.gov.uk
Your comments will be taken into account when drawing up the final version of the revised policies in the Waste and Minerals Local Plan.