Decision - Partial Review of Regional Spatial Strategy for South East - Review of Sub Regional Apportionment of Land-Won Aggregates

(1)   That the Cabinet Member for Environment approves a response to the Government that:

(a)       Welcomes the review to the sub regional apportionment and notes that the methodology proposed needs to continue to recognise the particular circumstances of East Sussex/Brighton & Hove, which has low production of land won resources and that they exist in the very far east of East Sussex County and the City relies heavily on marine dredged aggregates for local construction.

(b)       Notes that  the City Council supports the County Council in supporting a sub regional allocation for East Sussex / Brighton & Hove of 0.07m tonnes pa and would object to any increase in this allocation;

(c)       Notes that  the City Council agrees with the County Council in not supporting the splitting of the apportionment to separately identify soft sand; see 3.3 / 3.4.

(1)       The particular geological characteristics of the administrative area covered by East Sussex/Brighton & Hove results in the area having low production of aggregates and minerals with reserves mainly on the Kent border.

(2)       Generally reserves will only serve a limited radius, therefore the Brighton & Hove market largely relies on marine dredged aggregates, It is recommended that Brighton & Hove City Council responds to Government in support of the current sub regional apportionment of 0.07m tonnes pa and would object to any increase in allocation. It would revise the previous clearly undeliverable allocation to the area. However, the Review of the Regional Spatial Strategy should continue to recognise that East Sussex/Brighton & Hove has particular circumstances such that its allocation needs to be related to the feasibility of delivering the aggregates rather than a particular methodology. The City Council would object to a higher allocation for East Sussex/Brighton & Hove if the overall regional total was increased.

(3)       The separate split for soft sand is not supported. For East Sussex/Brighton & Hove, the area of soft sand to the north of the South Downs is very narrow and viable extraction may not be possible in much of the area identified. Given the relatively small sub regional allocation to East Sussex/ Brighton & Hove, the separate identification of a soft sand apportionment is not favoured.

(4)       It is recommended that an officer from the joint Waste and minerals planning team attend the proposed Examination in Public to represent the Councils response to the joint allocation for East Sussex and Brighton and Hove in order that the Councils joint views are fully considered

1.     The previously proposed allocation was considered to be undeliverable.