Luton carries out its minerals and waste policy planning jointly with Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire councils through a shared service.
A Minerals and Waste Local Development Framework (MWLDF) is being produced on behalf of the three authorities and will comprise two main plans::
- ‘Minerals and Waste Local Plan: Strategic Sites and Policies’ (previously referred to as the Minerals and Waste Core Strategy).
- ‘Minerals and Waste Local Plan: General Environmental Policies’.
The Minerals and Waste Local Plan: Strategic Sites and Policies (MWLP:SSP)
The MWLP:SSP sets out strategic policies on which future waste management and mineral extraction will be assessed. It identifies strategic sites for mineral extraction, non-hazardous waste landfill and other waste management activities.
Waste recycling and recovery, including generating energy where appropriate, is an important part of the plan. The nearest strategic site to Luton will be at Thorn Turn, on the A5 near Houghton Regis.
The current version of the plan safeguards the existing rail served aggregates depots at Leagrave Road and Crescent Road, as well as the asphalt-making plants and the concrete batching plants that provide essential materials for road construction and maintenance.
No sites in the borough are identified for mineral extraction or for large scale waste management because no sites have been previously proposed and Luton is a heavily built up area.
Next steps
The MWLP:SSP was submitted to the Secretary of State on 10th August 2012, and has been the subject of a formal hearings during December 2012 and January 2013.
The councils are proposing a number of main and additional modifications to the plan. These have arisen from discussions at the hearing sessions and have been proposed by the inspector and the councils. These were subject to public consultation which has now closed, a report will be published shortly.
The plan for submission, tables of the proposed modifications and a representation form are available to download here:
Follow this link to view all the supporting documents to the plan or you can visit Luton Borough Council’s Town Hall, although it is too late to comment on these proposals.
If you are interested in the plan and have any queries regards its submission please contact the Programme Officer, Sam Mellonie on 07971296800 or email programmeofficersm@gmail.com
If the plan is found sounds by the inspector, it is likely to be adopted later in 2013 and will immediately begin to influence decisions on future mineral supply and the location of new waste management facilities.
General and Environmental Policies Local Development document
A later document, ‘Minerals and Waste Local Plan: General Environmental Policies’, will set out more detailed development control policies and other advice, the adoption of which is anticipated by the middle of 2015.