County Council to Consult on Local Plan for Minerals & Waste

At an “Extraordinary Meeting” of Hampshire County Council on Thursday 13th October, Councillors voted to publish for public examination and consultation on, a comprehensive plan for dealing with Minerals and Waste across the County over the next 10 years.  

Before the vote was taken, Councillors had considered deputations from 20 interested members of the public, representatives from the Mineral Extraction Industry and a detailed exposition of the plans derived from 5 years of intensive studies and consultations from the Council’s Director of Environment and Transport.

After closely questioning the Director and a spirited debate, a move to delay the plan’s passage to the next phase was rejected. Members approved the soundness of the plan and voted for it to be released Inspector.

The outcome of this stage will be subject to a further Public examination that could lead to its alteration and adoption next year.

Before the vote took place, in winding up the debate the Leader of the Council Ken Thornber said:

“After a long and exhaustive search, assessing 100 sites we have reached the end of a stage in the development of our Minerals and Waste Plan

We are at an important stage in a process - but not the final stage - and I say to our deputees, that a rigorous testing of our Plan and their objections will take their place at the Public Examination, if this phase of the Plan is agreed today.

Objections will be very carefully weighed from every possible angle by a skilled impartial inspector.

Hampshire County Council’s Plan will be carefully scrutinized too, and our evidence base examined in detail; assessing environmental, traffic and infrastructure problems; loss of amenity; economic, social and business factors.”