Minerals and Waste
Adopted Unitary Development Plan
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Introduction (Part I)
12.1 Mineral extraction can play an important part in urban regeneration, providing a source of employment and a supply of raw materials for construction, manufacturing and other forms of economic development. Similarly, only through the maintenance of an adequate waste disposal system can urban renewal and economic growth be sustained. The processes of mineral extraction and waste disposal, however, also have a significant impact on the environment. The UDP needs to balance the case for mineral extraction and waste disposal against the equally important requirement to protect and improve the City's environment.
12.2 Currently, the only mineral workings in Salford are the series of peat workings in the moss land area to the west of the City. The closure of Agecroft Colliery has had major repercussions, not just on local mineral provision but also on employment, land use and the environment. Policies and proposals contained elsewhere in the UDP (principally the Economy Section) outline how the City Council wish to see the Colliery site developed.
12.3 There have, in the past, been other mineral workings within the City, notably sand working at Clifton House Farm, Clifton, and extraction of sandstone at Weaste Quarry near Ladywell Hospital. Although there are no active sand and gravel workings, two rail depots in the City handle aggregates, and these are important given that Greater Manchester is a net importer of aggregate minerals. In addition, there has been some extraction of ash from tips at Agecroft Road, Pendlebury, and Victoria Tip, Barton, as well as the reworking of colliery spoil tips by the process known as `tip-washing' at Astley Green, on the City's boundary with Wigan M.B.
12.4 An analysis of underlying geology indicates potential for further mineral extraction within the City, particularly the opencast coal reserves on the outskirts of Little Hulton, Walkden and Boothstown, gravel deposits at Chat Moss, Barton and Clifton Junction and sand deposits at Lumns Lane.
12.5 British Coal have recently submitted a planning application for opencast coal extraction at the Lomax site, which is on the City's boundary with Wigan and Bolton and stretches between Wharton Lane, Little Hulton and Burgess Farm, Walkden. An earlier planning application for opencast coal extraction on the Lomax site was refused on appeal although the Secretary of State for the Environment did indicate that a smaller scheme carried out in an environmentally sensitive manner, might prove acceptable.
12.6 There are a number of outstanding planning permissions for peat extraction, but under the City Council's Moss lands Strategy there is an intention to renegotiate the conditions attached to these permissions to secure the restoration of sites for wildlife benefit. In view of the harm likely to result from peat extraction in the Remnant Moss lands, further permissions there will not normally be granted as provided by Policy EN6.
12.7 Exploration for oil and gas within the City cannot be ruled out. It is unlikely that any new deep mines for coal will be opened within the City within the UDP period.
12.8 Over 50 landfill sites and waste handling facilities have operated within the City boundaries in the past. These included tips for industrial, demolition and excavation waste, sites which accepted domestic waste and which were operated by the pre-1974 District Councils, and sites for waste generated by the local chemical industry. There are a number of private incinerators within the City as well as civic amenity sites at Lumns Lane, Agecroft; Laundry Street, Brindleheath; and Lester Road, Little Hulton. Further civic amenity facilities are needed in the Eccles and Irlam areas.
12.9 The Greater Manchester Waste Regulation Authority (G.M.W.R.A.) is responsible for the regulation of all controlled waste disposal sites by means of site licences. These stipulate the conditions under which waste disposal can be undertaken.
12.10 Salford's domestic refuse (80,966 tonnes in 1988/89) is collected by the City Council, and disposed of at present by the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (G.M.W.D.A.). The G.M.W.D.A. closed its last operational landfill site at Barlow Hall, Manchester, in October 1989, since when it had relied on contracts with private sector waste disposal operators. At present, the G.M.W.D.A. is seeking new landfill sites around the conurbation. Private sector landfill facilities have been relatively few in recent times, since much of the demolition and construction wastes arising within the City appear to cross into neighbouring Districts of Trafford, Wigan and Bolton, as well as Cheshire. A small number of "in-house" sites are operated to dispose of waste produced from associated industrial processes. The G.M.W.D.A. also operates a pulveriser at Brindleheath.
12.11 Water and sewerage companies in England and Wales are investing substantial sums of money to improve the quality of bathing waters around the coastline in order to comply with the European Community's Bathing Water Directive (76/160/EEC). On 5th March 1990 the Secretary of State for the Environment announced that in future all substantial discharges of sewage into the sea should first be treated. This policy has subsequently been adopted by the EEC in the form of Urban Waste Water Directive (91/271/EEC). The above Directives will require water authorities to cease the disposal of sewage sludge at sea, which in turn will increase the emphasis on land based methods of disposal. North West Water are currently preparing a sewage sludge disposal strategy which will investigate the potential for various land based disposal options, including incineration.
Strategy (Part I)
12.12 The Greater Manchester Minerals Local Plan, prepared by the former Greater Manchester County Council and approved by the Environment Secretary in September 1989, is a statutory framework for the provision and control of mineral working in Greater Manchester. The Minerals Local Plan identifies Areas of Search for coal, sandstone/gritstone and sand and gravel. The purposes of the Areas of Search were to broadly define areas within which mineral extraction might be acceptable, subject to fulfilling criteria set out in the Plan, thereby identifying areas where there was a presumption against extraction. The areas were defined by subtracting a series of constraints, such as, Sites of Biological Importance, from the known geological deposit of each mineral. Some of the accepted constraints are the subject of continual review and the mineral industry's own investigations of resources have led to the areas becoming out of date. This review can be expected to continue throughout the Unitary Development Plan period. The Minerals Local Plan identified 15 Areas of Search throughout the City. Further workable deposits (e.g. Bunter Sandstone) may also exist but have yet to be identified. In view of the limited number of remaining Areas of Search and the possibility of resources existing that could acceptably be exploited, it is felt that the identification of Areas of Search on the UDP Proposals Map has little value and it is therefore proposed to omit these areas, yet still retain within the Plan's written policies a clear indication of the basis on which future areas for mineral exploitation can be identified.
12.13 The City Council's strategy for mineral extraction pays due regard to the Minerals Local Plan and the UDP's policies for mineral extraction are based very largely on those of the local plan, as required by Strategic Planning Guidance. The strategy is concerned with:
- safeguarding mineral resources
- securing appropriately high standards of site operation
- ensuring that any resultant spoil is adequately disposed of and that sites are suitably restored to an appropriate after-use and
- minimising the environmental impact of minerals operations
12.14 In formulating and implementing such a strategy, the City Council understands the need to maintain, as far as possible, Salford's contribution to the supply of minerals in the conurbation and region as a whole. However, mineral extraction may not always be compatible with development proposals or environmental policies contained elsewhere in the UDP. In formulating policies and proposals in this section of the Plan there has been an attempt to minimise such conflicts by providing for mineral extraction prior to development.
12.15 The G.M.W.R.A. are currently preparing a Waste Disposal Plan for Greater Manchester. North West Water are also preparing a strategy for sewage sludge disposal. The approach towards waste disposal in the UDP is one of specifying criteria for selecting new waste disposal sites and for assessing applications for waste disposal facilities. The approach will:
- ensure high standards of site operation
- minimise environmental impact and encourage the recycling of waste products and
- ensure appropriately high standards of site restoration and appropriate forms of after-use
This approach, and the relevant policies within the Plan, apply to all forms of waste disposal, including sewage sludge disposal.
12.16 In addition, the Plan recognises the problems associated with existing and former tips particularly the generation of landfill gas. In determining development proposals in other sections of the UDP an attempt has been made to avoid as far as possible the potential risk associated with the emission and migration of landfill gas. Policies contained within this section of the Plan also seek to minimise this risk by controlling the location of new built development in the vicinity of existing and former tips and by requiring tip operators to undertake precautionary measures.
12.17 The City Council's strategy for minerals and waste disposal accords with Strategic Planning Guidance in that it seeks to safeguard mineral resources, secure appropriately high standards of site operation and restoration and minimise the environmental impact of mineral operations, as well as establish criteria for the identification of mineral workings and waste disposal sites and for assessing the land use and environmental implications of individual proposals.
Protection of Mineral Resources
Policy (Part I)
MW1 - The City Council will safeguard known mineral resources and allow for the possibility of extraction, having regard to the need to maintain agreed levels of production and to the need for environmental protection.
Reasoned Justification (Part II)
Minerals of all types are needed for construction, manufacturing and economic activity in general. The need to allow for their extraction is acknowledged. Mineral resources can be lost when building, engineering, waste disposal or other operations take place and land believed to contain exploitable mineral deposits should be protected from development which could render them unworkable, as long as alternative sites are available for these activities. Careful planning can ensure that mineral extraction takes place prior to other forms of development being undertaken. Policy MW2 sets out the framework to establish the agreed levels of production for aggregate minerals. Minerals Planning Guidance Note 3 - Coal Mining and Colliery Spoil Disposal (MPG3) states that there are no levels attached to the production of coal, oil or gas.
Maintaining the Supply of Aggregate Minerals
Policy (Part I)
MW2 - In considering proposals for new workings for aggregate minerals the City Council will have regard to:
i. the contribution the proposal may make towards maintaining the Greater Manchester share of the regional production of aggregates, as expressed in the most recent Regional Interpretation of the Guidelines for Aggregate Provision for the North West; and
ii. the need to maintain a landbank of reserves with permissions within the Greater Manchester County area, in accordance with national guidance contained in MPG6, `Guidelines for Aggregates Provision for England and Wales' as interpreted by the North West Aggregates Working Party, unless exceptional circumstances prevail.
Reasoned Justification (Part II)
The Guidelines for Aggregates Provision in England and Wales, Minerals Planning Guidance Note 6 (MPG6) was reissued in draft consultation form by the Department of the Environment in January 1993. The Guidance uses the results of the 1989 Aggregates Survey as a basis for forecasting regional production of Aggregates to the year 2011. The forecasts within the draft have, as a result of reassessment, been revised downwards from earlier forecasts. The forecasts will be used by the North West Aggregates Working Party to predict the likely demand that needs to be satisfied at County level and the level of landbank required.
The existing MPG6, refers specifically to the aim of providing for the release of land to maintain `a landbank' sufficient for at least ten years' extraction, unless exceptional circumstances prevail. This is because the overall process of site selection, acquisition, development, and the gaining of planning and other approvals, is very time consuming, and there is a need to ensure a steady and regular supply of aggregate minerals to the construction industry. This lead-in period is currently being questioned by the Department of the Environment, who are proposing to reduce the landbank from ten to five years in the case of sand and gravel. The policy does not specify a time for landbank calculation, but will apply to the period that the Department of Environment finally agree within the revision of MPG6.
Footnote:
Minerals Policy Guidance Note 6 (MPG6) "Guidelines for Aggregate Provision in England" was published in April 1994, after the close of the public inquiry into objections to the Deposited Draft Plan and prior to the adoption of the Plan. The City Council will have regard to MPG6 in the consideration of relevant planning applications and reference should be made to MPG6 for current information on landbanks.
Mineral Working and Derelict Land Reclamation
Policy (Part I)
MW3 - There will be a presumption in favour of proposals for mineral working or surface disposal of mineral waste which result in the reclamation of derelict and degraded land, subject to compliance with policy MW8 and other policies and proposals in the UDP.
Reasoned Justification (Part II)
It may be possible to include derelict or poor quality land in mineral applications and make such land more attractive or productive as part of the restoration operations. The possibility of such benefits will need to be weighed against the temporary loss of amenity caused by mineral working and the value a derelict site may have as a wildlife habitat.
Alternatives to Newly-Won Minerals
Policy (Part I)
MW4 - The City Council will encourage the use of waste materials (such as colliery shale, pulverised fuel ash and ash from railway embankments) as alternatives to newly-won minerals, subject to compliance with other policies and proposals in the UDP.
Reasoned Justification (Part II)
In many cases the use of waste materials as an alternative to natural aggregates is both technically feasible and economic, provided that transport costs are kept low. The use of a waste as a secondary aggregate produces benefits in three ways: it conserves the resources of natural aggregate which would otherwise be used, reduces the land taken both for mineral working and for waste disposal, and releases land to be made available for other productive uses. As an example, the City Council, as highways authority, is in a position to encourage contractors to use waste materials in road construction and maintenance work where this is feasible and economic.
Transport of Minerals and Mineral Waste by Rail and Water
Policy (Part I)
MW5 - The City Council will support the provision of rail and water - linked aggregate depots and mineral waste disposal points where these have good access to the Network of Major Roads. The City Council will also support the provision of rail and water links to existing and new mineral workings, subject to compliance with policy MW8 and other policies and proposals in the UDP.
Reasoned Justification (Part II)
Provision of rail and water-linked depots in appropriate locations will reduce the need to move aggregates or mineral wastes by road and hence provide environmental benefits. Care will need to be taken to ensure that the resulting road traffic serving the rail and water-linked depots does not give rise to significant local environmental costs which outweigh the environmental gains elsewhere.
Transport of Minerals and Mineral Waste by Road
Policy (Part I)
MW6 - The City Council will, where appropriate, seek to enter into planning or other agreements to control the routeing of vehicles to and from mineral workings, aggregate depots and mineral waste disposal points, and secure highway improvements where applicable.
Reasoned Justification (Part II)
The routes used by lorries carrying minerals (and mineral wastes) from mineral workings and depots may be unsuitable on highway and/or environmental grounds, and if suitable alternative routes are available or can be provided, it may be possible, under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1990, to enter into a voluntary agreement with the operator, that these routes may be used.
Enhancing the Operation and Restoration of Existing Mineral Workings
Policy (Part I)
MW7 - The City Council will seek to renegotiate the conditions attached to planning permissions relating to existing mineral workings where these are considered to be inadequate to meet present day environmental and amenity concerns, particularly in terms of site operation and restoration.
Reasoned Justification (Part II)
Many old planning permissions for mineral workings, such as those associated with peat extraction at Chat Moss, do not include sufficient conditions to ensure the satisfactory operation or restoration of the sites concerned, in accordance with present day requirements.
Renegotiation of the terms of the original permission will enable greater consideration to be given to environmental and amenity issues.
Compensation may be payable if formal planning powers are used to obtain improved planning conditions. However, other approaches such, as the use of Section 106 Agreements, or the renegotiation of conditions as part of the consideration of a proposal to extend existing workings, may also be considered.
Development Control Criteria - Minerals
Policy (Part I)
MW8 - In considering proposals for mineral extraction, mineral exploration, the disposal of mineral waste and the provision of aggregate depots, planning permission will not normally be granted for any proposal which:
i. has an unacceptable impact on dwellings or on other environmentally sensitive properties (such as schools or hospitals etc) in terms of visual amenity, noise, dust, vibration, air pollution, water pollution, hours of operation or other nuisance
ii. has an unacceptable effect on the stability of surrounding land or would cause unacceptable harm to the water environment, water resources, groundwater levels or groundwater flows
iii. is unacceptable in terms of access, traffic generation or road safety
iv. has an unacceptable impact on the viability of agricultural holdings or would result in an unacceptable loss of the best and most versatile agricultural land, taking into account the quality of restoration likely to be achieved following mineral extraction
v. has an unacceptable impact on any listed building, or its setting, ancient monuments or conservation areas
vi. has an unacceptable impact on areas of recreational use, areas of high archaeological, ecological, or geological value, features of landscape interest, woodlands, SSSI's, Sites of Biological Importance or the Croal Irwell Valley
vii. with the exception of opencast coal working and the reworking of spoil tips for coal, and the exploitation of oil and gas, fails to demonstrate a need for the mineral, taking into account its quality and the proposed market
viii. fails to demonstrate the presence of adequate reserves of the mineral in terms of both quality and quantity
ix. in the case of drift mining and deep mining, does not incorporate a satisfactory scheme of working to minimise subsidence and the risk of damage to buildings, structures, and land
x. prevents the working of other mineral deposits of significant value
xi. in the case of proposals for the working of opencast coal, sandstone and gritstone, the extraction and storage of mineral or overburden do not take place within 200 metres of a significant number of dwellings (usually 10 or more) or other environmentally sensitive properties, taking into account local circumstances. (This restriction may be relaxed where there are sufficient environmental benefits from mineral working, such as the reclamation of derelict land)
xii. will be likely to have an unacceptable impact on surrounding highways or the safety or free flow of traffic
xiii. does not include a satisfactory scheme of working providing, where appropriate, for progressive working and restoration
xiv. makes unsatisfactory provision for the processing and disposal of the mineral
xv. makes unsatisfactory provision for the disposal of mineral waste
xvi. makes unsatisfactory provision for screening and landscaping whilst working is in progress or
xvii. does not include a satisfactory scheme of restoration and after-care
Reasoned Justification (Part II)
The purpose of this policy is to ensure that where mineral extraction, mineral exploration, mineral disposal or the provision of aggregate depots occurs, it does so without undue detriment to environmental and amenity considerations. In implementing the policy, the City Council will have regard to the need to protect the best and most versatile agricultural land (grades 1, 2 and 3a) in accordance with policy EN4, ecological value in accordance with policy EN5, and the potential for habitat creation, recreational development, tree planting and landscape enhancement on less favourable agricultural land, subject to compliance with other policies and proposals of the Unitary Development Plan.
Provision of Waste Disposal Sites and Facilities
Policy (Part I)
MW9 - In seeking to identify sites for waste disposal purposes, or in considering proposals for new or extensions to existing waste disposal sites and facilities, the City Council will have regard to:
i. the need for waste disposal facilities
ii. the need to safeguard land use and other environmental interests and
iii. the need to comply with UDP policies and proposals, in particular policy MW15
Reasoned Justification (Part II)
Waste disposal facilities have traditionally served local communities. However, as environmental controls over the industry are increased, facilities such as landfills are of necessity becoming bigger and more regionalised. Flows of waste are increasingly crossing district, county and regional boundaries and consideration of the provision of facilities needs to take this into account.
Much of the waste arising within Salford is currently disposed of outside the City. Within the UDP timescale it is anticipated that there will be an increasing need to identify and bring forward further sites for waste disposal purposes. In so doing it will be necessary to consider the need for the site or facility as against other forms of development, and to assess the environmental effects upon land or adjoining land uses and to ensure that the development is consistent with the policies and proposals of the UDP.
Waste Disposal and Derelict Land Reclamation
Policy (Part I)
MW10 - Encouragement will be given to proposals for new, or extensions to existing, waste disposal sites or facilities which result in the reclamation of derelict or degraded land, subject to compliance with policy MW15 and other policies and proposals of the UDP.
Reasoned Justification (Part II)
Waste disposal may provide a mechanism by which derelict land or degraded sites can be reclaimed for beneficial use, subject to environmental and amenity safeguards.
Waste Recycling and Bulk Reduction
Policy (Part I)
MW11 - Encouragement will be given to proposals for new, or extensions to existing, waste disposal sites or facilities which result in the recycling and reclamation of waste materials and reduce the volume of waste materials to be disposed of, subject to compliance with policy MW15 and other policies and proposals of the UDP.
Reasoned Justification (Part II)
Such proposals may enable the protection of scarce waste disposal capacity and conserve resources. The City Council has started and will continue to play a more proactive role in waste recycling.
Methane/Biogas
Policy (Part I)
MW12 - Encouragement will be given to proposals for the collection and beneficial use of gas generated by landfill and sewage treatment schemes, subject to compliance with policy MW15 and other policies and proposals of the UDP.
Reasoned Justification (Part II)
The generation of gas from the decomposition of waste and sewage can, if proper precautions are not taken, present a potential hazard and can result in the release of methane into the atmosphere, with damaging effects on the ozone layer. However, landfill and sewage gas can become a valuable resource if collected and used to produce heat and/or electricity. The City Council will therefore encourage schemes that beneficially use the gas produced at landfill sites and sewage treatment works.
Transport of Waste by Rail and Water
Policy (Part I)
MW13 - Encouragement will be given to proposals to provide rail and water transport links to new or existing waste disposal sites and facilities, subject to compliance with policy MW15 and other policies and proposals of the UDP.
Reasoned Justification (Part II)
Such proposals may reduce the environmental impact of transporting waste materials along local highway networks.
Civic Amenity Sites
Policy (Part I)
MW14 - The City Council will encourage the provision of local civic amenity sites in appropriate and accessible locations.
Reasoned Justification (Part II)
The provision of local civic amenity sites which are easily accessible to the areas which they serve will hopefully reduce the incidence of illegal fly-tipping.
Development Control Criteria - Waste
Policy (Part I)
MW15 - Planning permission will not normally be granted for any proposal which:
i. has an unacceptable impact upon significant numbers of properties (usually 10 or more), in terms of visual amenity, ground or water contamination, noise, smell, dust, vermin, vibration, or other nuisance;
ii. would cause unacceptable harm to the water environment, water resources, groundwater levels or groundwater flows
iii. is unacceptable in terms of access, traffic generation and road safety
iv. would lead to an unacceptable loss of the best and most versatile agricultural land, taking into account the quality of restoration likely to be achieved after waste disposal has been completed
v. has an unacceptable impact on any listed building or its setting, ancient monuments or conservation areas
vi. has an unacceptable impact on areas of recreational use, areas of high archaeological, ecological or geological value, features of landscape interest, woodlands, SSSI's, Sites of Biological Importance or the Croal Irwell Valley
vii. would sterilise land with mineral deposits, if mineral extraction is considered to be a viable and appropriate use of the land
viii. in the case of extensive sites, does not include provision for progressive working of the site in order to minimise the area of working at any particular time
ix. does not include satisfactory provision for screening and landscaping of the site whilst the site is being used for waste disposal or
x. does not include satisfactory provision for site restoration and, in appropriate cases, for progressive restoration whilst the site is being used for waste disposal
Reasoned Justification (Part II)
The purpose of this policy is to ensure that where waste disposal occurs it does so without undue detriment to environmental amenity and safety considerations. In implementing the policy the City Council will have regard to the need to protect the best and most versatile agricultural land (grades 1, 2 and 3a) in accordance with policy EN4, ecological value in accordance with policy EN5, and the potential for habitat creation, recreational development, tree planting and landscape enhancement on less favourable agricultural land, subject to compliance with other policies and proposals of the Unitary Development Plan.
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This page was last updated on 22 October 2009
