Hampshire Mineral Plan- Question & Answers
Q. Why do we need aggregates?
A. Aggregates are building materials and in Hampshire comprise of sand, gravel and limestone. Approximately 50 tonnes of gravel is needed to build a three bedroom house but most aggregates are used in maintaining existing development and infrastructure.
Q. What are the main minerals we use and where do they come from?
A. The main minerals that we use are sand and gravel, crushed rock, clay and chalk. It is very expensive and environmentally unfriendly to transport minerals over long distances, so wherever possible, they are sourced close to where they are used. We have reserves of sand and gravel within the County, although we do use a significant amount that is dredged from the English Channel. We also have small amounts of clay in Hampshire, which is used for brick making, and chalk, which is mainly used in agriculture. Crushed rock is not available in Hampshire, so we have to import it, mostly by train from quarries in Somerset.
Q. Why don’t we use more recycled material?
A. In Hampshire, we do already recycle over 800,000 tonnes of aggregates per year and that amount is planned to double by 2016.
Q. Why can’t we get all our sand and gravel from the sea?
A. We do already land about 1.75 million tonnes per year from the sea, about a quarter of all that landed in the South East of England. Over 40% of all the sand and gravel used in Hampshire comes from the sea. However, dredging does have impacts and we need to balance the benefits of this source against the potential damage to the marine environment, coastal erosion and the impact on the marine based economy, such as tourism and fishing. We need to plan for a supply that is a balance between different sources.
Q. What will happen if we don’t plan?
A. It is a statutory duty for us to prepare a plan. If we do not, there is a risk sites will be imposed by Government irrespective of Hampshire’s priorities. By producing a plan, we can properly asses sites and compare them against other options within the County, hear community views on them and make choices about the sites included in the plan.
Q. How much sand and gravel do we need to provide?
A. The Government calculates the national need and then divides this amongst each region. In turn, the regions require each authority that plans for minerals to meet an allocation. The Government is currently reviewing the figure that is required nationally and has proposed to reduce it by about 8%. At the same time, the South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA) is currently undertaking a public consultation on different ways to calculate the allocation within the South East. They are proposing three different options to reduce the current allocation of 2.63 million tonnes per year of land won sand and gravel for Hampshire. The options vary between 1.82 million tonnes and 2.32 million tonnes. Hampshire County Council believes that the lower of these figures is the most appropriate figure and it is unnecessary to plan for more. It is therefore using the figure of 1.82 million tonnes as the basis of the Hampshire Minerals Plan. You can respond directly at the SEERA consultation.
Q. How have you selected the sites? Why haven’t you chosen sites where no-one lives and aren’t used for recreation?
A. Sites which have been identified in the plan are determined by the geological make-up of the County. Only 18% of the area of the County contains the minerals we need and only a proportion of that can be used for extraction because of factors such as accessibility, closeness to special landscapes or habitats and to people. Each site has been evaluated rigorously against various criteria, including access to the transport network, ecological and amenity impact, landscape and visual intrusion to identify the ‘least worst’ in terms of their local impact.
Q. How many sand and gravel sites do we have now and how many are planned for Hampshire?
There are 13 existing sites that will continue to supply sand and gravel into the plan period but new sites will be needed to replace these as they are worked out. 14 new sand and gravel sites were proposed in the previous (consultation) version of the Plan, with a further 5 option sites, but 9 have now been eliminated. A rigorous impact assessment informed by the public representation on the consultation plan has been carried out (see “Q. How much sand and gravel do we need to provide?”).
The sites proposed in the Plan are:
- Mortimer Quarry Extension, Mortimer
- Eversley Common Quarry Extension, Eversley
- Cutty Brow, Longparish
- Kingsley Quarry Extension, Kingsley
- Frithend Quarry Extension, Sleaford
- Hamble Airfield, Hamble
- Forest Lodge Farm, Hythe
- Plumley Wood, Harbridge
- Purple Haze, Ringwood.
- Roeshot Hill , Christchurch
Q. Who makes the decision on sites and how is this done ?
A. The Hampshire Minerals Plan has to be approved by the full County Council and its partners in July 2008. The County Council will consider a report detailing all the technical background work that has been done to assess the sites and the impacts of the mineral workings. The report and all background information will be made available to the public at the Council’s Offices and via the website.
Q. Where do you take the sand and gravel extracted in Hampshire?
A. It is very expensive and environmentally unfriendly to transport minerals over long distances, so it is generally used locally – the majority is used within a 20 mile radius, unless it is in an area more remote from sources of sand and gravel, or is of a special type.
Q. How long will the sites be used for extraction?
A. Between five and 20 years – depending on the size of the site and the local demand.
Q. What happens to the sites once the minerals have been extracted?
A. All sites are restored progressively – sometimes with surplus materials and spoil from construction sites – as the mineral is worked out, to a suitable, beneficial after-use depending on the local planning objectives. This could be for agriculture, forestry, open space / recreation or creating new wildlife habitats. Please see the images below of the restored Holmesley Gravel Pit.
None of the sites identified for mineral extraction in the plan are proposed for landfill except Purple Haze in Ringwood Forest, which may be used for landfill after the end of the life of the plan, if required.
Photos of Holmsley Gravel Pit where one type of restoration has been carried out.
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Q. What’s it like living near an extraction site? What can we expect?
A. All sites proposed in the plan are still subject to the requirement for operators to submit for approval a planning application prior to working. The application needs to demonstrate how any impacts identified will be dealt with and is subject to further public consultation. Typical measures include;
- Phasing of works
- Restrictions on working hours
- Landscaping and standoff areas around houses and other buildings
- Routing agreements for traffic
- Measures to control emissions, noise and vibrations, dust and litter
- Screening of plant and equipment
- Protection of the local environment, including water resources
In addition all new sites will have strict conditions demanding restoration to a suitable afteruse, based on planning objectives for the area. This could include agriculture, forestry, open space / recreation, or creating new wildlife habitats.
Q. What happens next?
A. The plan needs to be agreed by the County Council and its partners in July. If they agree the plan, it will be published formally in September and the public will be invited to make representations on whether they consider it to be “sound”, that is properly justified and appropriate when compared with reasonable alternatives. Early in 2009, the County Council will submit the Plan, together with the representations that have been made, to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. The Secretary of State will appoint an independent inspector to consider the “soundness” of the Plan in the light of the representations, including a public hearing later next year. The Inspector will then prepare a report to the Council and the recommendations will be binding on the Council. It is likely that the plan will be adopted in 2010.
Q. How do I make my views known ?
A. Details of the consultation will be decided shortly and publicised on the Council website, in local papers, in local information centres, locally to sites, and with local District, Parish and Town councils. You can register to be included on the consultation database by
sending an e-mail to planning.policy @hants.gov.uk
by telephoning 0845 603 5634
Q. Where can I found out more information?
A. Watch the Meridian Television 4 minute video report - 'Gravel pits hit Hampshire'
A. View the SEERA mineral apportionment webpage: