Policy information sourced from the Essex Minerals Local Plan

S8 Safeguarding Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves

By applying Mineral Safeguarding Areas (MSAs) and/ or Mineral Consultation Areas (MCAs), the Mineral Planning Authority will safeguard mineral resources of national and local importance from surface development that would sterilise a significant economic resource or prejudice the effective working of a permitted mineral reserve, Preferred or Reserve Site allocation within the Minerals Local Plan. The Minerals Planning Authority shall be consulted, and its views taken into account, on proposed developments within MSAs and MCAs except for the excluded development identified in Appendix 5.

Mineral Safeguarding Areas

Mineral Safeguarding Areas are designated for mineral deposits of sand and gravel, silica sand, chalk, brickearth and brick clay considered to be of national and local importance, as defined on the Policies Map.

The Mineral Planning Authority shall be consulted on:

  • all planning applications for development on a site located within an MSA that is 5ha or more for sand and gravel, 3ha or more for chalk and greater than 1 dwelling for brickearth or brick clay; and
  • any land-use policy, proposal or allocation relating to land within an MSA being considered by the Local Planning Authority for possible development as 69 part of preparing a Local Plan (with regard to the above thresholds).

Non-mineral proposals that exceed these thresholds shall be supported by a minerals resource assessment to establish the existence or otherwise of a mineral resource of economic importance. If, in the opinion of the Local Planning Authority, surface development should be permitted, consideration shall be given to the prior extraction of existing minerals.

Mineral Consultation Areas

MCAs are designated within and up to an area of 250 metres from each safeguarded permitted minerals development and Preferred and Reserve Site allocation as shown on the Policies Map. The Mineral Planning Authority shall be consulted on:

  • Any planning application for development on a site located within an MCA except for the excluded development identified in Appendix 5,
  • Any land-use policy, proposal or allocation relating to land within an MCA that is being considered as part of preparing a Local Plan

Proposals which would unnecessarily sterilise mineral resources or conflict with the effective workings of permitted minerals development, Preferred or Reserve Mineral Site allocation shall be opposed.

For more information please see Essex Minerals Local Plan