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DEVELOPMENT PLANS AND WASTE MANAGEMENT
21 The Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006 requires planning authorities, in drawing up development plans, to carry out those functions with the objective of contributing to sustainable development. This will help to ensure that policies and proposals for waste management developments are properly considered against economic, social and environmental factors. SPP1: The Planning System refers to Area Waste Plans as examples of material considerations. Although Area Waste Plans are not land use documents they establish landfill diversion targets for municipal solid waste by 2010, 2013 and 2020. The 2013 requirements are shown in the first National Planning Framework. It is important therefore that development plans provide for the spatial dimension and relevant siting considerations. The 2013 requirements will be met chiefly by materials reclamation ( i.e. recycling and composting) but dependent upon recycling rates and waste growth, future residual waste treatment requirements will be a strategic consideration for development plans. Any future capacity identified in Area Waste Plan reviews, the National Waste Management Plan or the outputs of the Business Waste Framework, in line with the principle that those plans also establish needs, will require to be accommodated by development plans.
22 Under the 2006 Act, strategic development plans ( SDPs) for the four city regions will contain a vision statement and set out general proposals on development in the area. Local development plans will provide detailed policies and proposals, except outside the city regions where they will also contain a vision statement. In the city regions, where significant land use issues around the cross-boundary movement of waste arise, these should be addressed in the SDP. Planning authorities should refer to the Development Planning sections on Need, Areas of Search and Site Assessment in PAN 63 which still apply, with the additional updates under the next section of this SPP on establishing and verifying need.
23 Not all development plans have provided an adequate policy framework for waste management. Scottish Ministers are ensuring that across Scotland, current and future development plans are consistent with the need to record improvements in the annual EU reporting programme described in row 1 of the Policy Framework Table and to meet the statutory requirements of the Waste Framework Directive where the report Local Plans: Meeting Area Waste Plan Objectives indicates that there is a need.
ESTABLISHING AND VERIFYING NEED
24 The policy set out in paragraph 21 will justify future requirements for the purposes of development planning. Additionally, planning authorities should when preparing plans or if faced with development proposals, refer to information held by SEPA including quarterly local authority and operators' returns and the annual Waste Data Digest 14. These provide background for local plan policy-making and information on progress towards meeting statutory and Executive targets. SEPA is also taking steps to improve data collection on non-municipal waste. SEPA's key agency and statutory consultee roles and work on future waste treatment capacity for commercial and industrial waste streams replaces the need for planning authorities to do further needs assessments.
MODEL POLICY, AREAS OF SEARCH, SITE ASSESSMENT AND IDENTIFICATION
25 PAN 63 explains that identifying areas of search in structure plans and sites in local plans provides certainty but could be difficult to do without for example, environmental impact assessment. That is no longer the case as the SEA regime applies to plan-making. Through SEA, PAN 63 provides authorities with a means of identifying sites and assessing their suitability. In principle, the co-location of waste management installations offering upstream collection and sorting and downstream distribution or manufacturing may also be suitable for larger sites in the industrial portfolio. Wide engagement during the preparation of development plans should ensure that the waste policy and operational requirements of the business sector and consideration of land holdings and employment strategies are reflected fully.
26 Model planning policies aim to provide consistency and clarity in development plans with the objective of being effective for use by most planning authorities. Planning authorities are encouraged to integrate the following model policy into development plans at the next available opportunity.
Model policy
Allocations for waste management installations are appropriate generally on the existing or planned supply of employment and industrial land and specifically on:
- Class 5 General Industrial land (where additional protection can be provided by Pollution Prevention and Control ( PPC) and through more stringent controls over noise, vibration and hazardous substances);
and in the case of waste transfer stations and materials recycling facilities;
- Class 6 Storage or Distribution land (where the distinction with Class 5 is on the basis of a higher level of lorry or van movements).
27 The model policy is not mandatory, to allow for local variation where there is sensible justification for doing so. Circular 1/1998 explains The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) (Scotland) Order 1997 and the scope for interchangeability between Classes. Other policies may be used to support the model policy, including criteria based policies, but only where they clearly guide applicants to appropriate locations and do not require additional appraisal.
28 In that regard, planning authorities should refer to Planning for Waste Management Facilities; which provides more detailed and up-to-date information on types of waste management facilities than the Site Assessment section of PAN 63, for example detailed information provided in paragraph 20 of this SPP on separation between sensitive receptors and installations. The consequent land-use factors most common to waste management facilities are either operational impact or those associated with transport. However depending on the installation, noise, water resources, visual intrusion and the natural or historic environment may be sensitivities that need to be taken into account in local plans. Land stability is a further factor in considering landfill.
29 Planning authorities should make long term provision in development plans for the safeguarding of potential landfill sites, focusing on opportunities for restoration of brownfield, contaminated or despoiled land, having regard to Area Waste Plan revisions and the National Waste Plan. Composting is a typical 'front-end' operation co-located at many landfill sites.
30 Greenfield sites promoted in development plans as additions to the planned supply of land for economic development may provide locational advantages for new waste management facilities, for example by their accessibility to transport networks, by overcoming potential community disturbance, or where economies of scale justify such locations.
31 PAN 79: Water and Drainage contains advice on assessing the impact of waste water infrastructure. Odour control may only be a planning issue during operational failure and in addition many new or improved facilities will have to be located on the coast where there are likely to be sensitive siting and design issues.
SUPPLEMENTARY PLANNING GUIDANCE ( SPG)
32 The Planning etc (Scotland) Act makes additional provision for the adoption of SPG, further details of which will be set out in secondary legislation. Criteria for siting mini-recycling sites or the design and integration of waste management facilities in new residential or commercial developments are examples of topics that may be suited to non-statutory SPG provided it is signposted by and supports the statutory development plan. Spatial planning considerations should be set out in development plans and are not appropriate in SPG. Some Waste Strategy Area Groups have published or are reviewing proposals to work with planning authorities on SPG notably on design and waste minimisation. Public consultation on SPG should take place before authorities adopt it for development management purposes.
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