Council services affecting planning
Development control
The Development Control team determines minerals and waste scheme proposals against the adopted plan for Buckinghamshire, The Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2004 to 2016.
Archaeology
Archaeology and historic landscape is an important consideration for mineral extraction in Buckinghamshire. Archaeological remains are commonly found on sand and gravel so it is rarely possible for large quarries to avoid all sites. However, through the Minerals and Waste Local Development Framework the County Council seeks to avoid harming the most important historic and archaeological sites. Quarry companies are required to commission archaeological surveys, and excavation of sites which would be damaged. Archaeological work can continue for several years after extraction is finished as finds need to be studied and every investigation needs a written report.
Archaeology is sometimes a factor within waste applications too, although the majority of waste facilities are located on old mineral extraction sites. An understanding of the local historic landscape can also help with the design of restoration schemes.
The Minerals and Historic Environment Forum has published a guide which is available on their website:
‘Mineral Extraction and Archaeology: A Practice Guide’ (2008)
There have been many examples of archaeological remains having a significant effect on minerals extraction in Buckinghamshire:
| Sites/Areas | Archaeology found | Result of this find |
|---|---|---|
| New Denham | Buckinghamshire’s earliest known undisturbed hunter-gatherer camp-sites dating to just after the end of the last Ice Age. | Key areas on the edge of the quarry excluded from extraction. Archaeological monitoring of quarrying to identify and record other sites. |
| Eton Rowing Lake | Revealed the settlements of Britain’s first farmers alongside the river and the later remains of Iron Age timber bridges built across it. | Large areas archaeologically excavated in advance of construction. Unexpected discovery of bridges caused logistical and resource challenges. Major publication in preparation. |
| The Lea | Has some of the county’s first fields; laid out in the Bronze Age. There was more intensive agricultural use in the Roman period and an unusual cemetery, possibly belonging to an immigrant community. | Archaeologically controlled stripping of each phase of mineral extraction followed by archaeological investigation. |
For further Archaeological information, visit Unlocking Buckinghamshire's Past, the Historic Environment Record for Buckinghamshire.
The Relationship of the MWLDF to the Municipal Waste Management Strategy and Procurement
The Buckinghamshire Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy has been produced by the authorities responsible for waste collection and disposal within Buckinghamshire (i.e. the District Councils and the County Council respectively) and sets out proposals for the management of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) produced in the county to 2025. A major element in the Strategy is how to handle the refuse left over after recycling and composting (sometimes called 'residual waste'), as it cannot all be landfilled due to legislation. The research underpinning the Strategy indicated that refuse treatment is likely to require some thermal treatment to recover residual waste.
In 2007 Buckinghamshire County Council invited bids from companies interested in providing and running the facilities required by the new contract. This process (commonly known as the 'waste procurement project') was completed in September 2009, with Covanta Energy being selected as preferred bidder for the Treatment of Household Residual Waste for Buckinghamshire Contract. However, due to a legal issue with Covanta's Bedfordshire site, in March 2010 we returned to the two bidder stage of our procurement process. The two bidders, Covanta Energy and WRG (who have a site at Calvert in Buckinghamshire) were invited to submit revised tenders and WRG were awarded preferred bidder status at the November 2010 Council Cabinet Meeting.
The proper relationship of procurement to the plan-led system is ensured through the policies in the adopted Buckinghamshire Minerals & Waste Local Plan (April 2006) and the emerging Minerals and Waste Core Strategy (MWCS).
Further information on the procurement process can be found on our Energy from Waste pages or within section 6 of the Annual Monitoring Report 2008/09.
For more information call 0845 3708090 or email mwldf@buckscc.gov.uk
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