Issues and Options Waste Site Allocations Plan
1 Introduction
Background
1.1 Bedfordshire County Council and Luton Borough Council are jointly preparing the Minerals and Waste Development Framework (MWDF) for Bedfordshire and Luton under the provisions of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. The Framework will set out the policies and proposals for the development and use of land for minerals extraction and waste management within the County. It will guide decisions on planning applications and provide the spatial plan for Bedfordshire and Luton in relation to Minerals and Waste.
1.2 This document is Part II of the “Issues and Options” Papers in relation to the Waste Development Plan Documents which are part of the Framework. The Waste Development Plan Documents, upon adoption, will consist of the Waste Core Strategy and Waste Site Allocations Plan.
1.3 Part I sets out the Issues and Options in relation to the Core Strategy and should be read in conjunction with Part II
1.4 Part II sets out potential new sites for waste management facilities within Bedfordshire and Luton that have been put forward by waste operators and landowners in the County. All nominated sites have been included in this document and at this stage there is no presumption as to whether or not any particular site is suitable or otherwise for future waste management facilities.
1.5 Many of the sites have previously undergone consultation with Technical Bodies, such as the Environment Agency and English Nature, and their responses have been included in relation to each site. Only sites submitted after this earlier consultation have not received any initial technical feedback. This will be gained through this consultation.
1.6 We have also identified the initial key planning constraints for each site from our internal information.
1.7 We would like your feedback on these issues, together with any other matters that are not currently addressed. Through this feedback we will narrow down the sites in order to identify sites for inclusion in the Waste Sites Allocation Development Plan Document.
1.8 We are also at this stage issuing a final call for site nominations. Any interested party who would like an area of land to be considered for potential waste management facilities should contact us now. As the Site Allocation Plan progresses, it will become increasingly difficult to propose new sites. This is because we select sites from the long list using a rigorous process of sustainability appraisal, and it will not be possible for us to repeat this appraisal for late nominations.
What next?
1.9 Following this Issues and Options consultation, all comments received will be considered and assist in the next stage of the Waste Development plans preparation. This will be the “Preferred Options” consultation, which is scheduled for summer 2008.
1.10 Full details, including project timetables, for all documents that will form part of the minerals and waste development framework for Bedfordshire and Luton are set out in the Bedfordshire and Luton Minerals and Waste Development Scheme, which may be downloaded free of charge from www.bedfordshire.gov.uk or available in hard copy from the contacts given below.