The Minerals and Waste Core Strategy will set out the vision, objectives and overall spatial strategy for meeting minerals and waste development requirements in Oxfordshire over the period to 2030. It will provide a policy framework for making decisions on planning applications and will also identify broad locations for new development. Sites suitable for development will be identified in a subsequent Minerals Sites Document and the Waste Sites Document.

Current position

We are considering all the responses to our consultation on the Draft Minerals and Waste Planning Strategies (see the September 2011 documents below) and we aim to report on this to the Council's Cabinet on 13 March 2012. Their response to the issues raised will be published.

When the Core Strategy Proposed Submission Document has been agreed by the council it will be published for public comment and then submitted to the Government for examination. The independent examination of the plan by a government appointed inspector is expected to take place later in 2012. When the inspector's report is received, the council will be able to adopt a final plan.

Consultation on draft Minerals & Waste Planning Strategy 2011

In September 2011 we published consultations on a draft Minerals Planning Strategy and a draft Waste Planning Strategy. The period for consultation ended on 31 October 2011. The consultation documents are available below, together with reports on the outcome of two Stakeholder Workshops that took place as part of the consultations. 

Draft Minerals Planning Strategy consultation documents

• Minerals Planning Strategy (pdf format, 2.5Mb)
• Development of Minerals Strategy Report (pdf format, 1.2Mb)
• Local Assessment of Aggregate Needs Report (pdf format, 2Mb)
• Preliminary site assessment (pdf format, 26Kb)
• Preliminary site assessment - sand and gravel (pdf format, 35Kb)
• Preliminary site assessment - soft sand and crushed rock (pdf format, 21Kb)
• SA/SEA Aggregates apportionment options July 2011 (pdf format, 1.5Mb)
• SA/SEA Scoping Report May 2010 (pdf format, 4Mb)
• SA/SEA Minerals Preferred Strategy (pdf format, 2.4Kb)
• SA/SEA Minerals Preferred Strategy - non technical summary (pdf format, 340Kb)

Draft Waste Planning Strategy consultation documents

• Waste Planning Strategy (pdf format, 1.5Mb)
• Waste Needs Assessment May 2011 (pdf format, 3.5Mb)
• SA/SEA Scoping Report May 2011 (pdf format, 4Mb)
• SA/SEA Waste Options (pdf format, 630Kb)
• SA/SEA of draft Waste Plan (pdf format, 1.4Mb)
• SA/SEA of draft Waste Plan - non technical summary (pdf format, 440Kb)

Background topic papers

Made available for consultation on the draft strategies

• Background Paper 1 - Environment (pdf format, 2.4Mb)
• Background Paper 2 - Flooding (pdf format, 2Mb)
• Background Paper 3 - Restoration (pdf format, 1.8Mb)
• Background Paper 4 - Safeguarding (pdf format, 4.7Mb)
• Background Paper 5 - Transport (pdf format, 331Kb)
• Background Paper 6 - Non aggregate minerals (pdf format, 90Kb)

Consultation meetings 29 September 2011

Reports of meetings prepared by Proteus Public Relations:

• Report on the Draft Minerals Strategy consultation meeting (pdf format, 64Kb)
• Report on the Draft Waste Strategy consultation meeting (pdf format, 64Kb)

Responses to the 2011 consultation

The comments we received to the draft Minerals and Waste Strategies consultations are set out in full in the itemised reports below.

Comments on the Draft Minerals Planning Strategy Consultation

• Executive Summary, Background, Vision and Objectives, Policies M1 and M2 Comments (Full) (.pdf format, 188Kb)
• Policy M3 - General, Crushed Rock, Soft Sand, Sutton Courtenay, Caversham Comments (Full) (.pdf format, 192Kb)
• Policy M3 - Sand and Gravel (West Oxfordshire areas) Comments (Full) (.pdf format, 252Kb)
• Policy M3 – Sand and Gravel (Cholsey area) Comments 1 (Full) (.pdf format, 932Kb)
• Policy M3 – Sand and Gravel (Cholsey area) Comments 2 (Full) (.pdf format, 1.4MB)
• Appendix 1 to the CAGE (Cholsey Against Gravel Extraction) submission to the consultation (pdf format, 28Kb)
• Appendix 3 to the CAGE (Cholsey Against Gravel Extraction) submission to the consultation (pdf format, 2MB)
• Policies M4, M5, M6, Key Diagram and Implementation and Monitoring Responses (Full) (.pdf format, 132Kb)

Comments on the Draft Waste Planning Strategy Consultation

• Waste Strategy Comments (Full) (.pdf format, 296Kb)

Comments on the Draft Minerals and Waste Planning Consultation (Core Policies)

• Common Core Policies Comments (Full) (.pdf format, 139Kb)

Comments on the Draft Minerals and Waste Planning Consultation (Supporting Documents)

• Background Papers and Preliminary Site Assessment Comments (Full) (.pdf format, 154Kb)
• Local Assessment of Aggregate Needs Responses (Summary) (.pdf format, 20Kb)
• Waste Needs Assessment Responses (Full) (.pdf format, 38Kb)
• SA/SEA on Draft Minerals Planning Strategy Responses (Full) (.pdf format, 34Kb)

Previous consultation documents (2006 - 2007)

Previous consultations on the Minerals and Waste Core Strategy are available below.

• Minerals and waste Core Strategy (Issues and Options) Consultation (June 2006) (.pdf format, 724Kb)
• Minerals and Waste Core Strategy (Preferred Options) Consultation (Feb 2007) (.pdf format, 534Kb)
• Minerals and Waste Core Strategy (Preferred Options) Summary Responses Report (.pdf format, 159Kb)