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2. BACKGROUND
2.1 Land use planning policy for waste management is explained in
NPPG 10 - Planning and Waste Management, published in 1996. The
NPPG restates the provisions of the
Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994 (
WMLRs) which, in line with the
EU Waste Framework Directive, require planning authorities to provide policies in their development plans for suitable waste disposal sites or installations.
2.2 Policy documents published since 1996 are more fully described in
appendix 1. These are:
- NPPG10 Planning and Waste Management (Scottish Office 1996),
- National Waste Strategy (
SEPA 1999),
- Planning Advice Note 63 Waste Management Planning (Scottish Executive 2002),
- National Waste Plan (
SEPA and Scottish Executive 2003),
- Area Waste Plans (
SEPA and Scottish Executive 2003),
- National Planning Framework (Scottish Executive 2004).
2.3 For the purposes of this report, the key documents in that list are the National Waste Plan and associated Area Waste Plans. These plans provide a policy context for land use planning on required infrastructure. In most cases, they indicate the capacity requirements (for municipal solid waste) that need to be met by a range of technologies. Identifying specific sites for installations is the job of the land use planning system. Development plans should (in line with
WMLRs) provide the necessary policy criteria or specify suitable sites.
2.4 Following on from a commitment contained in the National Waste Plan, the Scottish Executive wrote to all planning authorities on 4 April 2003 (see
appendix 2) to remind them of the need to consider whether their development plans took account of the new waste infrastructure requirements set out in the Area Waste Plans. This letter explained that Planning Advice Note 63 had noted the need for Planning Authorities to consider whether, and how urgently, development plans should be altered in order to take account of new requirements identified by the Area Waste Plan. Consequently, the Executive asked that, in order to assess the likely pace of change, (and also in view of the European Commission's interest in Member States, including the
UK complying with requirements to draw up waste plans) local authorities provide a note on:-
- provision made for waste management facilities in their current development plans
- whether this was compatible with the Area Waste Plan and National Waste Plan
- and if not, what steps the Authority would be taking to amend the development plan to comply with the Area Waste Plan and National Waste Plan, together with the intended timetable.
2.5 The objectives of this current report are to take stock of the extent to which planning authorities across Scotland have met those requirements. Where there are gaps (ranging from particular locational hot spots, through an evident absence of strategic management to a potentially serious land use planning policy vacuum), the report makes recommendations on next steps in the light of present circumstances.
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