Waste Core Strategy
The Waste Core Strategy will set out a vision, objectives and spatial strategy for the development of waste management facilities in Staffordshire and the City of Stoke-on-Trent over the next 15 years. Notably, the Core Strategy will indicate the strategic sites and broad locations for the development of future waste sites.
A short video has been produced to highlight the issues surrounding planning for waste developments.
Latest news:
January 2010 - current working programme updated on our
Minerals and Waste Development Scheme
August 2009 - current working programme updated on our Minerals and Waste Development Scheme page - for details click here
5 March 2009 - Strategy update report considered by Planning Committee - for details click here (see Agenda item 86)
3 July 2008 - Report to Planning Committee to approve Issues and Options 2 for public consultation - for details click here (see Agenda item 18)(and 'Background' below).
Consultation on Issues and Options 2 has now closed
In response to the requirement that the Core Strategy needs to identify “broad locations” or “strategic sites” for future waste management facilities, it is now necessary to gather evidence on alternative options for future sites. A second stage Issues and Options consultation was deemed necessary in preparation of a Strategy that is more “place focused”. Please note that the first stage Issues and Options consultation took place in March 2007 (see 'Background' below) and related only to Staffordshire. The principal of a Joint Waste Core Strategy with Stoke-on-Trent City Council was agreed in November 2007.
The Issues & Options 2 document, approved by Planning Committee on 3 July 2008 for public consultation (see 'Background' below), provides an overview or ‘spatial portrait’ of waste treatment facilities throughout Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent and then highlights the main drivers affecting waste planning that need to be addressed by the Waste Core Strategy. It develops the locally distinctive vision, spatially specific waste site options, and develops a set of requirements and method of assessing potential site options.
In consideration of the issues and options for the Joint Waste Core Strategy, comments were invited in relation to twelve issues and fifteen questions during October and November 2008. 40 respondents engaged with the process to make comments on the published documents and 28 site proposals were also submitted in response to the invitation for sites for future waste management facilities.
An update report was presented to the Planning Committee on 5 March 2009. The report contains a summary of the consultation responses (Appendix A), a list of respondents (Appendix B), a list of site submissions (Appendix C), and a plan of site submissions (Appendix D) (available here (see Agenda item 86)(and 'Background' below)).
The consultation documents are still available to read and all of the individual responses can be viewed by using our new e-consultation portal.
Further information relating to waste data can be viewed here.
If you wish to view a full schedule of comments relating to the issues and options consultation please click below:
Schedule of Comments (32 pages).
We will now be reviewing the feedback we have received from the Issues and Options 2 consultation to refine the vision and objectives of the Joint Waste Core Strategy and assess options. This will enable the selection and rejection of options to develop the Strategy including the selection of preferred strategic waste management facility site options that will make a major contribution to the waste treatment capacity up to 2026 (refer to our Mineral and Waste Development Scheme page for the latest on the approved timetables for the Waste Core Strategy).
If you missed our deadline but would still like to make any comments about our consultation documents or want to discuss any issues relating to the Waste Core Strategy, please contact us (details below).
Profiles for Site Options to Waste Core Strategy
For a summary profile and location map of the strategic site options submitted by the waste industry click here.
How to stay up to date
If you wish to be kept informed about progress of our Waste Core Strategy please register with us via our new e-consultation portal available here.
The Sustainability Appraisal, Strategic Flood Risk Assessment and Habitats Regulations Assessment of the Waste Core Strategy
To ensure that the policies in the Waste Core Strategy contribute to the achievement of sustainable development there is a legal requirement to carry out a Sustainability Appraisal (SA) incorporating a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). The purpose of the SA process is to ensure that the principles of sustainable development are fully integrated into the emerging policies and proposals. To find out visit our SA page.
All strategic site proposals will be subject to scoping for compliance with the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA) - for more details visit our SFRA page.
All sites will also need to be subject to an assessment in accordance with the EU Habitats Directive to determine whether or not there are any impacts on ecological sites of international importance - for more details visit our
HRA page.
Developers submitting strategic site proposals should consider the advice available on our SA, SFRA and HRA pages.
Contact details
To discuss the Waste Core Strategy contact:
Julie Castree-Denton Waste Planning Policy Team Leader
tel. 01785 277293
Alfia Cox Senior Planning Officer
tel. 01785 277271
Background to the Waste Core Strategy
Issues & Options
One of the first stages in preparing the Waste Core Strategy is to identify the relevant issues, as well as any realistic options for tackling those issues, that need to be addressed in the Waste Core Strategy.
Capita Symonds prepared an issues and options document on behalf of Staffordshire County Council which was reported to Planning Committee in March 2007.
Issues and Option - report (15 March 2007)
Issues and options document (Appendix A to the report)
Public consultation then followed for a six week consultation period from 30 March 2007 to 11 May 2007 on the following document.
The first part of the document explains the context for waste planning in Staffordshire and describes the background to the waste management industry in the County and the main drivers which are likely to change the nature of waste management in the area in the future. The second part sets out the ten key issues which we consider need to be addressed in developing the strategy for the future and some of the alternative options available to deal with those issues.
Issues & Options for the Waste Core Strategy
In July 2007 Planning Committee received a report on the 39 respondents who submitted 29 questionnaires in response to the issues and options consultation document. The report contains a summary of the responses (Appendix A). A more detailed schedule of the responses is available below.
Schedule of responses to the issues and options (note: 101 pages)
The Planning Committee report also recommended a new way forward for the Waste Core Strategy in response to the advice we received from the Government Office for the West Midlands (GOWM) and the recent publication of "lessons learnt" by the Planning Inspectorate (PINS). The GOWM and PINS advice suggested that the Core Strategy will need to provide a clear spatial strategy which identifies "strategic sites" and "broad locations" for future waste development. The report sets out a revised programme to take the Waste Core Strategy forward with this in mind.
Issues and Options report back and update on preparing the Waste Core Strategy - report (12 July 2007)
To view the latest advice from the Planning Inspectorate click here
In November 2007 the Planning Committee accepted the planning and financial benefits of joint working explained in a report and so Staffordshire County Council are now to prepare a joint Waste Core Strategy with Stoke-on-Trent City Council. This is the same approach that was followed with the predecessor to the Waste Core Strategy, namely the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Waste Local Plan.
Report to Planning Committee - 8 November 2007
A brief was sent out in November 2007 to consultants inviting bids to do further work to develop our understanding of the evidence base in terms of the existing provision of waste management facilities and to help determine the requirements for new waste management facilities over the next 10 to 20 years. This work required the revisions to the Regional Spatial Strategy to be taken into account. The consultants commenced their work in December 2007.
Issues and Options 2
On 3 July 2008 the County Council's Planning Committee approved various documents prepared by consultants to be used for a second round of public consultation on issues and options for the Waste Core Strategy.
Alongside the consultation, prospective developers and waste operators were invited to submit site options to us for assessment against the strategic objectives described in the consultation document and against a list of requirements. It was emphasised that the early identification of sites was essential if proposals were to be included in the Waste Core Strategy because they needed to be thoroughly assessed through the process of sustainability appraisal and to provide the opportunity for stakeholders, including statutory consultees, the local communities and other interested parties to comment.
The committee report, draft consultation document and associated draft plans and documents were as follows:
Planning Committee Report - 3 July 2008 - Waste Core Strategy Issues & Options 2
Waste Core Strategy Issues & Options 2 - Committee Draft - July 2008
Figure 2.2 location of waste management facilities
Figure 4.1 Potential Opportunities for Locating Waste Facilities
Figure 4.2 Potential Constraints for Locating Waste Facilities
Figure 4.3 Summary of Potential Opportunities and Constraints
Figure 4.4 Potential Opportunities and the Transport Network
Evidence Base - Technical Paper
Strategic Flood Risk Assessment - Interim Review - this document should be read in conjunction with the scoping study available here
Strategic Environmental Assessment / Sustainability Appraisal - Revised Scoping Report - Draft - July 2008
Initial Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) Screening Report of the 'issues & options 2'
HRA accompanying maps
Interim Sustainability Appraisal (SA) of the 'issues & options 2' - Draft - July 2008
SA Appendix 1 - Compatibility Matrix and Tables
SA Appendix 2 - maps
Last Modified:
25/02/2010 10:57:05
Back to top