The current Essex Minerals Local Plan (MLP) was adopted in July 2014. The Plan:
- provides planning policies for minerals development in Essex until 2029
- identifies future sites for mineral extraction.
Alongside other Local Plans, the MLP forms part of the Development Plan for Essex.
Every five years the council is required to review the effectiveness of its MLP. Proposed amendments to the MLP 2014 were consulted on in March/April 2021. Reviews are required to ensure that each policy and associated supporting text in the MLP is still fit for purpose. This means that the Plan continues to be robust and can help maintain a ‘steady and adequate’ supply of aggregates.
Watch these three video presentations to learn more about the Minerals Local Plan and the review process:
- Minerals Local Plan Review pre-consultation briefing
- the assessment of potential mineral site allocations
- Make the link to mineral products by the Minerals Product Association
Extending the Plan end date to 2040
This Review acts to extend the current Plan period from 2029 to 2040.
Extending the Plan to 2040 means that we will have a new plan covering a 15-year period from 2025 when the revised MLP is envisaged to be adopted. This enables us to meet the relevant ‘tests of soundness’ as set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
As part of this update, new mineral annual provision rates have been calculated. New sites will be needed to meet the forecasted demand for minerals.
The future plan will ensure that we can support the forecasted growth and development demands in Essex.
Current review progress
The review has completed five stages:
- a consultation (under Regulation 18 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended) in March/April 2021
- a ‘Call for Sites’ exercise in February/March 2022
- a second 'Call for Sites' exercise in September 2022
- an informal engagement on Policy S6 of the Minerals Local Plan in February/ March 2022.
- a further Regulation 18 public consultation in February and March 2024, which was re-run May to July 2024 to take into account an omitted site
During the consultation, the following sites were requested to be removed from consideration by the promoters of the site:
- A55 – Sheepcotes Southern
- A90 - Northern extension to Rayne
- A96 - Southern extension to Rayne
Following these stages, we now have 49 new candidate sites for consideration for inclusion in a new Plan. The List of Candidate Sites webpage has been updated accordingly.