Meeting documents

1.1 The purpose of this report is to propose that the Council co-operate with the other three Unitary Authorities which make up the West of England sub region in the preparation of a Joint Development Plan Document (DPD) as a means of providing a sub regional waste planning framework and facilitating the implementation of the Waste Services Modernisation Programme. Appendix 2 contains the report to the 6^th January meeting of the West of England Waste Project Board which considers the preparation process for a Joint DPD and sets out a draft Project Brief. The recommendations were agreed.

1.2 The Waste Services Modernisation Programme aims to deliver waste treatment capacity between now and 2020 to manage municipal waste arisings from the West of England and to establish for other controlled wastes the tonnage and treatment requirements of the Regional Waste Strategy. A major financial driver for the programme is the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS) which could involve the imposition of significant financial penalties on authorities who fail to divert sufficient quantities of biodegradable municipal waste from landfill by specified target dates.

1.3 A Joint Waste DPD will set out policies for waste management in accordance with the emerging Regional Spatial Strategy and the Regional Waste Strategy to ensure that the sub region is making adequate provision for the management of forecast waste arisings. The aim will be to set out the number, type and size of facilities required in the West of England to manage municipal and other wastes over the period to 2020.

1.4 In accordance with paragraphs B15-16 of PPS 12, the DPD will inform and be informed by the individual Unitary Authority Municipal Waste Management Strategies and will provide for an integrated approach to waste planning and waste management

1.5 With regard to the identification of the sites, the Joint Waste DPD will indicate the key sites where facilities of strategic significance should be located. The DPD will provide the framework for individual Unitary Authorities to identify sites or areas suitable for non-strategic waste management facilities to meet the needs identified in their areas. Policies to enable facilities of this nature to be provided will be set out in the Core Strategy of each Unitary Authority. The Bath and North East Somerset Local Plan - revised deposit draft and pre-inquiry changes currently identifies two sites for new waste management facilities in the District but it is likely that additional facilities will be required.

1.6 An agreement to prepare a Joint Waste DPD will need to be set out in the Local Development Schemes of each Unitary Authority. This will require an amendment to the existing Scheme to set out the time frames and resources required and approval is sought to amend the Bath and North East Somerset Local Development Scheme accordingly.

1.7 With regard to resources some of the other Councils employ staff with waste policy experience who could be used to prepare the DPD. This Council does not employ a waste policy officer so it is recommended that our contribution to this process is a financial one which could be utilised to employ consultants at key stages such as the consultation process, the sustainability appraisal and the project management of the process. This blend of utilising existing Unitary Authority experience to produce the document and consultants at key stages to ensure the document is delivered on time will allow the four UAs to make best use of available staff and financial resources.

1.8 An initial estimate of likely costs has been prepared which identifies the minimum costs of preparing a Joint Waste DPD and taking it through to adoption will be approximately £400,000, which equates to £100,000 for each Unitary Authority.