PAGE Campaign

County Council adopts localism approach to minerals policy

The County Council have now updated their website with the news that they will be adopting a locally-derived minerals policy, as permitted under the revocation of the South East Plan.  Written correspondence between the County Council and the Department for Communities and Local Government can be read here.  Much of the letter from Ian Hudspeth, County Councillor Cabinet member for Growth & Infrastructure, to Greg Clarke MP, Minster for Decentralisation, carries similar arguments that PAGE have been pursuing for some time, eg. potential for increased use of recycled and other secondary aggregates, significant shortfalls in production levels in previous years vs government targets.

PAGE welcome that this approach now has a formal undertaking.  We will continue to pursue our own evidence-based argument that the target should be in the region of 1.0-1.2mtpa (which will remove the need for any new sites for minerals extraction in Oxfordshire to 2026).  We will be sharing this evidence with the County Council planners to help inform the debate.

We don't yet know how this additional work will affect the County Council timetable.  The County Council planning officers are due to submit a report on preferred options to the County Council Cabinet meeting in October.  This is likely to move as the work on locally-derived minerals targets should logically take precedent.

Media coverage this week

Following our press release calling for Oxfordshire County Council to exert full control of minerals policy following the revocation of the South East Plan, the PAGE Campaign has featured on BBC Radio Oxford twice this week and also in The Oxford Times.

Read The Oxford Times article on their website:

Calls for review of county minerals quota

We have spent considerable time investigating the supply and demand data for minerals in Oxfordshire, and we are now confident that the minerals quota for Oxfordshire 2011-2026 should be in the region of 1.0-1.2mtpa (million tonnes per annum).  This is in comparison to the County Council estimate of 1.58mtpa, and the government target of 2.1mtpa.   We also believe that there are sufficient reserves at existing sites to completely remove the need for new sites such as those in the PAGE area.  

With the increasing use of recycled aggregates for building materials, there is an opportunity for Oxfordshire County Council to become a UK leader in the way in which minerals are reused.   The continued exploitation of the River Thames floodplain is now unacceptable to local communities across Oxfordshire.  We will be submitting our evidence to the County Council planners in the next few weeks.

But we can't continue this work without the support of residents and community organisations.  Your donations will help to fund our evidence-based approach to fighting the County Council plans and prevent our countryside being exploited for minerals for the next 15 years and more.   There are many ways you can support the PAGE Campaign.  See our "Donate" page for more details.

Public meetings in Benson and Berinsfield

Residents and interested parties are invited to attend the next two PAGE Campaign public meetings in our communities:

Benson - Thursday 29th July, 7:30pm, Benson Parish Hall

Berinsfield - Monday 9th August, 7pm, Mount Farm Community Education Centre, Berinsfield 

We will presenting an update on the County Council plans for minerals extraction, details on the nominated sites near Benson and Berinsfield, an update on the PAGE Campaign, and how residents can get involved and show their support.

PAGE calls on Oxfordshire County Council to exert self-determination on minerals policy

Press release

Following the government decision to revoke the South East Plan, PAGE are calling on Oxfordshire County Council to now exert full control of the destiny of the Oxfordshire countryside and ensure that the county has a robust and evidence-based approach to minerals policy for at least the next 15 years.

Although the coalition government revoked the South East Plan in an announcement on 6 July by the Secretary of State Eric Pickles, the detail on minerals policy was less clear.  

Instead of revoking the minerals policy entirely, the coalition government instead retained the position on the March 2010 targets determined by the previous Labour government.  This leaves Oxfordshire with the existing 2.1mpta (million tonnes per annum) target, a quota that has been fiercely opposed by both PAGE and by the County Council itself.

However, the government has also issued guidance that “planning authorities can choose to use alternative figures for their planning purposes if they have new or different information and a robust evidence base.”

PAGE will now be lobbying local government hard to ensure that County Councillors know that they now have an opportunity for self-determination on minerals policy.  We believe that it is time that every County Councillor in Oxfordshire realises that the ongoing plans to exploit the River Thames floodplain for sand and gravel are wholly unacceptable to local communities and must be challenged.

Read the full press release here.

County Council announce new options for minerals extraction

The PAGE Parish Councils attended a second consultation workshop with Oxfordshire County Council on revised options for minerals extraction.

The County Council Planning Officers have consolidated the original 5 spatial options to 3 new options for consideration:

Option 1 - Existing sites - Windrush Valley (West Oxfordshire), Cassington, Radley area, Sutton Courtenay

Option 2 - New sites - Clanfield/Bampton, Sutton/Stanton Harcourt, Clifton Hampden/Wittenham, Warborough/Benson (including nominated sites at Drayton St Leonard and Stadhampton), Cholsey

Option 3 - Dispersal strategy - a combination of options 1 and 2, with a number of additional sites

The PAGE area is listed in 2 of the 3 options, so the threat to our countryside still remains.  The Planning Officers are conducting another consultation meeting next week in Standlake, and will then be reviewing all the feedback from the consultation before submitting their recommendations to County Councillors in September/October.

With the government announcement this week to revoke the South East Plan, there is now the distinct opportunity for Oxfordshire County Council to devise their own minerals quotas.  PAGE will continue to work with County Councillors and Planning Officers to promote alternative solutions. 

The briefing notes from Oxfordshire County Council can be downloaded here.

South East Plan is revoked

In an announcement on 6 July 2010, Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, announced the revocation of regional strategies.  This means that the South East Plan, driven by GOSE to develop a top-down approach to housing targets, minerals quotas and other planning issues, has been abolished.

This should mean that County Councils will now have the freedom to determine their own minerals quotas.  In the Q&A document sent to Chief Planning Officers, the Department of Communities and Local Government recommends that:

"Minerals planning authorities will have responsibility for continuing to plan for a steady and adequate supply of aggregate minerals to support economic growth. 

They should do this within the longstanding arrangements for minerals planning.

Technical advice provided by the Aggregate Working Parties, including their current work in sub-apportioning the CLG guidelines for 2005-2020 to planning authority level will assist with this. 

Planning authorities in the South East should work from the apportionment set out in the "Proposed Changes" to the revision of Policy M3, published on 19 March 2010.

Planning authorities can choose to use alternative figures for their planning purposes if they have new or different information and a robust evidence base. We will work with the minerals industry and local government to agree how minerals planning arrangements should operate in the longer term."

Although the South East Plan has been revoked, County Councils are obliged to continue the creation of Local Development Frameworks (of which minerals strategy is a key component).  

PAGE have been developing a proposal that challenges the current supply/demand figures for minerals in the county and proposes an alternative solution which could benefit the county as a whole.  We will continue to discuss this with County Councillors and Planning Officers as we believe this approach has a close fit with new government policy.

Midsomer Ball, Saturday 18th September

Following the fabulous success of the Crazy Bear Ball in June, the PAGE Campaign are inviting residents and guests to another evening of entertainment.   The Crazy Bear Ball raised over £3000 for the PAGE Campaign, was a fantastic night out, and showed a real demonstration of community spirit.   The tickets for our next event are already selling fast, so please book your tables now.   

MIdsomer Ball

Shillingford Bridge Hotel

Black tie
Champagne reception
3 course dinner
Auction
Entertainment from magician Matt Sterling and singer Johnny Earl

Tickets £55

Please contact Jan Rimmer on 01865 343719 for tickets and more information.

All proceeds will go to the PAGE Campaign to help us defend our communities and countryside from the disruption and destruction caused by gravel extraction.

Public meeting in Dorchester 14th July

The public meeting for the 14th July in Dorchester has been postponed.  Instead, PAGE will be presenting the new archaeological discoveries at the Dorchester on Thames Society AGM on the following evening.  Please come along to find out more about the PAGE Campaign and the new Roman discoveries in the local area.

Dorchester on Thames Society AGM
Thursday 15th July, 7:30pm
Abbey Guesthouse, Dorchester.