The federal government’s proposed revisions to the Nationwide Making plans Coverage Framework (NPPF) constitute a blow for minerals making plans, in line with the Mineral Merchandise Affiliation (MPA), which represents the quarrying sector.
MPA says the revised textual content, printed on 16th December, is a overlooked alternative to handle the rising threats to the home provide of crucial minerals. The draft wording removes key references to customary coverage rules – keeping up a enough provide of minerals is now not described as “crucial” and the will for mineral making plans government to plot for a “stable and good enough provide” of aggregates has been got rid of.
MPA has lengthy referred to as for the federal government to introduce extra wide-ranging mineral making plans reforms as a part of an effort to opposite the long-term decline in approved mixture reserves.
This decline is ongoing regardless of ancient low gross sales figures, making mineral making plans reform an pressing necessity for making sure a sustainable provide of development fabrics. The proposed revisions to the NPPF additional aggravate the placement even supposing aggregates actually shape the foundations and upholstery for the federal government’s expansion schedule, the MPA says.
Mark Russell, govt director for mineral sources on the MPA, stated: “The draft textual content of the revised NPPF is a disappointing backwards step for mineral making plans. Now could be the time to be strengthening, no longer watering down, reputation of the strategic significance of home mineral extraction for our economic system given this represents the most important subject matter float within the economic system. As a result, this can be a overlooked alternative to improve the strategic significance of crucial minerals comparable to development aggregates, commercial sands and development stone and supply a lot wanted self belief for companies to speculate one day.
“The federal government’s making plans reform programme has been welcomed in principle, however with out mineral making plans reform to allow the extraction of the fabrics on which development relies, it’s going to no longer translate to a sustainable upper degree of housebuilding and infrastructure supply in apply. It’s going to merely shift the obstacles to construction to in different places within the procedure. Accredited mixture reserves are already in decline, even amid low development job.
“The revised NPPF will have to set out a countrywide observation of want for the crucial minerals our economic system relies on, and ship the mineral making plans reform required to make sure a long-term sustainable provide of fabrics to underpin the development increase the Govt needs to peer.”
The session at the draft textual content will run till March 2026 and MPA urges all the ones concerned with mineral extraction and making plans to make representations forward of the cut-off date.
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