Minerals and Waste Local Plan

Oxfordshire County Council is required to produce a Minerals and Waste Development Scheme (MWDS) under sections 15 and 16 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended by the Localism Act 2011). The core purpose of the MWDS is to help communities and interested parties, including the Planning Inspectorate, keep track of plan making progress by the local planning authority, which in this case is Oxfordshire County Council.

The MWDS must specify all the planning documents that the Oxfordshire County Council intends to prepare as of part of the local development plan for minerals and waste matters throughout Oxfordshire. These planning documents are known as Development Plan Documents (DPDs).

The MWDS should also include details of other minerals and waste-related planning documents it will be looking to publish over the coming years. This may include supplementary planning documents (SPDs) and supporting plan making document such as a Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) for the area, Authority Monitoring Reports (AMRs) and Local Aggregate Assessments (LAA).

Regulation 34 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 also requires that plan making intentions outlined in development schemes to be regularly appraised. Oxfordshire County Council will achieve this through the Authority Monitoring Report (AMR).

This MWDS, in line with the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, has been prepared to support the preparation of the Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan, and contains the following information:

• existing policy documents and their status;
• the planning policy documents that are to be prepared;
• the subject matter and geographical area to which the documents relate;
• the timetable for their preparation and review;

This MWDS will be kept under review and subsequent revisions taken through the appropriate process for approval. Once adopted, this MWDS will be published on the County Council’s website.

Existing policy documents and their status

The current local development plan documents relating to minerals and waste in Oxfordshire are:

• The Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan Part 1 – Core Strategy (adopted September 2017).
• Saved Policies of the Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan 1996 (adopted July 1996). These were in part replaced by the Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan Part 1, but some were intended to be replaced by the Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan Part 2 – Site Allocations Document. Those policies have yet to be replaced and are still part of the development plan. These policies are set out in Appendix 1 of the Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan Part 1 – Core Strategy.

The planning documents that are to be prepared

Development plan documents

A single development plan document will be produced. This will be the Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan. It will provide a comprehensive local planning policy framework for minerals and waste covering the geographical area of Oxfordshire, including all district areas. As well as minerals and waste policies it will contain policies common to both minerals and waste. As a development plan document it will be in conformity with the NPPF, the NPPW and other relevant strategies. It will also be underpinned by robust evidence.

In July 2025, it was agreed by Cabinet to cease the production of the Minerals and Waste Local Plan under the current plan-making system and prepare to produce the plan under the new plan-making system once it is brought into effect.

Therefore, there is currently not a timetable for the Minerals and Waste Local Plan production. A new plan making timetable will be produced as soon as practicable once the secondary legislation has been made and the new process for local plan making has been set out.

A review will take place within 6 months of the Cabinet Decision, if the provisions of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act have not been brought into force by that time or earlier if required.

Other planning documents

Statement of community involvement

All local planning authorities must have in place a Statement of Community Involvement (SCI). It should set out how the community and other interested parties will be involved in preparing, altering and reviewing planning documents and local planning guidance. It also explains how local consultation will take place when determining planning applications. In March 2020, an updated SCI for Oxfordshire was adopted – Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan Revised Statement of Community Involvement. A statutory review of this SCI took place in May 2025 and was approved by Cabinet Member Decision, subject to a further review being undertaken by December 2026.

Authority monitoring report

The County Council is required to produce a statutory Authority Monitoring Report (AMR). This must contain information on the implementation of local plan-making as set out in the MWDS, progress and effectiveness of local development plan documents, and the extent to which the planning policies set out within DPDs are being achieved. The most recent AMR is available to view online. During this MWDS, the County Council intends to publish an updated AMR for each calendar year.

Local aggregates assessment

The NPPF requires Minerals Planning Authorities to prepare a Local Aggregates Assessment (LAA). This document monitors the sales and reserves of sand and gravel in the County, along with other information such as the use of secondary and recycled aggregate. The LAA forecasts the demand for sand and gravel, looks at the various supply options, and makes an assessment of the balance between supply and demand. The LAA is published annually and available online.

Annex 1