United Kingdom: mineral policy

Summary of mineral policy within the United Kingdom

The development and implementation of mineral safeguarding policies at national and local levels in the United Kingdom

Mineral extraction makes an essential contribution to national development and prosperity. However, unlike many other land uses, the location of sites where mineral extraction can take place is limited. The underlying geology dictates where mineral resources occur and other factors, such as economics, environmental considerations, surface land use or technology can limit access. To ensure a continued, steady and adequate supply of the raw materials needed by society, it is important that mineral resources are not needlessly sterilised by new, non-mineral related, development. Although this principle has been part of the UK planning process since the Town and Country Planning Act was introduced in 1947, the mechanisms and policies in place to support it were, until recently, largely ineffective. A more robust mechanism was, therefore, required. In recent years, mineral policy has been revised by the UK government and a process known as ‘mineral safeguarding’ has been introduced and applied through the UK planning system within the devolved jurisdictions. Efforts undertaken so far focus on the safeguarding of onshore construction minerals, industrial minerals and coal largely because of the importance of their indigenous production. However, more recently the concept of mineral safeguarding is being applied to offshore aggregates. This paper describes how mineral safeguarding has been implemented in the UK. A number of case studies highlight different aspects of the mineral safeguarding process which, when applied and enforced, enables mineral resources to be appropriately considered within the land use planning process

The mineral resources of the English Channel and Thames Estuary

This report accompanies the Marine mineral resource map the marine sand and gravel resources of the English Channel and Thames Estuary (Bide et al, 2012). It has been published as part of the research project Mineral Resource Assessment of the UK Continental Shelf commissioned by The Crown Estate. The map is one of a series that covers the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS). Knowledge of mineral resources is essential for effective and sustainable planning decisions. The marine mineral resource maps provide a comprehensive, relevant and accessible information base. This information will allow all stakeholders (planners, industry and members of the public) to visualise the distribution of offshore minerals to a common standard and at a common scale, an important requirement of an integrated marine planning system. The maps will also facilitate the conservation (safeguarding) of non-renewable mineral resources for future generations in accordance with the principles of sustainable development

Silica sand

This factsheet provides an overview of silica sand supply in the UK. It is one of a series on economically important minerals that are extracted in Britain and is primarily intended to inform the land-use planning process. It is not a statement of planning policy or guidance; nor does it imply Government approval of any existing or potential planning application in the UK administration

Modelling the distribution and quality of sand and gravel resources in 3D: a case study in the Thames Basin, UK

Three-dimensional (3D) models are often utilised to assess the presence of sand and gravel deposits. Expanding these models to provide a better indication of the suitability of the deposit as aggregate for use in construction would be advantageous. This, however, leads to statistical challenges. To be effective, models must be able to reflect the interdependencies between different criteria (e.g. depth to deposit, thickness of deposit, ratio of mineral to waste, proportion of ‘fines’) as well as the inherent uncertainty introduced because models are derived from a limited set of boreholes in a study region. Using legacy borehole data collected during a systematic survey of sand and gravel deposits in the UK, we have developed a 3D model for a 2400 km2 region close to Reading, southern England. In developing the model, we have reassessed the borehole grading data to reflect modern extraction criteria and explored the most suitable statistical modelling technique. The additive log-ratio transform and the linear model of coregionalization have been applied, techniques that have been previously used to map soil texture classes in two dimensions, to assess the quality of sand and gravel deposits in the area. The application of these statistical techniques leads to a model which can be used to generate thousands of plausible realisations of the deposit which fully reflect the extent of model uncertainty. The approach offers potential to improve regional-scale mineral planning by providing an enhanced understanding of sand and gravel deposits and the extent to which they meet current extraction criteria

Collation of the results of the 2014 aggregate minerals survey for England and Wales

1.1 Aggregate Minerals (AM) surveys, normally undertaken at four-yearly intervals since 1973, provide an in-depth and up-to-date understanding of national and sub-national sales, inter-regional flows, transportation, consumption and permitted reserves of primary aggregates. The surveys are used to inform the development of minerals policy in respect to the production, movement and consumption of aggregates. The data are made publicly available. 1.2 This report is the collation of the data for primary aggregates for 2014, therefore there has been a five year period between this and the previous survey (AM2009). In addition to presenting information on regional and national sales, consumption, and permitted reserves of primary aggregates, the AM2014 report also presents data on the movement and consumption of primary aggregates by sub-region. Information is also presented on the quantity of aggregate minerals granted and refused planning permission and planning permission applications withdrawn between 2010 and 2014. In addition, information is presented on the quantity of aggregate minerals within planning permission applications submitted between 2010 and 2014 and were awaiting a decision at 31 December 2014. 1.3 The information is presented for England and Wales and for individual regions and was collected from aggregate producers by Mineral Planning Authorities (MPAs) using a standard form (Appendix F). It was subsequently collated at regional level by the relevant Aggregate Working Party Secretary (Appendix I) or the British Geological Survey (BGS)1 and at national level by the BGS on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and the Welsh Government. Similar information was published by the then Department of the Environment for 1973, 1977, 1985, 1989 and 1993, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions for 1997, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for 2001 and the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Welsh Assembly Government for 2005 and 2009 (Appendix H). Comparisons of sales, consumption and permitted reserves for these years and 2014 are provided in Tables D1 to D3

Safeguarding options for marine mineral resources

The marine environment is rich in natural resources and marine life. It also supports a range of economic activities including marine fisheries, aggregates extraction and increasingly large scale renewable energy projects. The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 and the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 introduced a new system for marine planning and licensing in the UK with the aim of reducing user conflict and encouraging the maintenance of ecosystems. In accordance with this, the UK-wide Marine Policy Statement (March, 2011) set the framework for the preparation of Marine Plans which will provide detailed policy and spatial guidance for marine activities (POST, 2011). During the preparation of these Marine Plans, it is essential that marine aggregates are considered. In 2011, The Crown Estate commissioned the British Geological Survey (BGS) to begin a two year research project to undertake a Mineral Resource Assessment of the UK Continental Shelf with the results being depicted as a series of maps. The first area to be assessed encompasses the East Coast Inshore and East Coast Offshore Marine Plan Areas and the results have been published as a 1:500 000 scale map (Bide et al., 2011a) with an accompanying descriptive report (Bide et al., 2011b). The marine mineral resource maps will provide a comprehensive, relevant and accessible information base. This information is essential in allowing all stakeholders (planners, industry and members of the public) to visualise the distribution of offshore minerals to a common standard and at a common scale. With increased pressure for marine space, there is a need to ensure that these natural resources are not needlessly sterilised by other forms of development, leaving insufficient supplies for future generations. Mineral safeguarding is the term that is used for the process that ensures this outcome. This report provides an outline of two possible options for minerals safeguarding in the marine environment

The mineral resources of the East Inshore and East Offshore marine plan areas, southern North Sea

Minerals are naturally occurring raw materials essential for the development of a modern economy. However, mineral resources are finite and can only be worked where they occur. As their extraction is subject to many constraints, it is important that society uses minerals in the most efficient and sustainable manner. Identifying the distribution of known mineral resources on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) and presenting them in a consistent fashion at a national scale allows minerals to be considered in the marine spatial planning process and permits more effective and sustainable management strategies to be developed. The British Geological Survey (BGS) has undertaken a commission from The Crown Estate to prepare a series of mineral resource maps which cover the UKCS. Mineral resource information was compiled following a desk study of data held by the BGS and external sources. This report summarises the mineral resources depicted on the first of these maps - the East Inshore and East Offshore Marine Plan Areas in the southern North Sea. These are the first areas (Figure 1) for which the Marine Management Organisation is preparing marine plans (MMO, 2010). The map has been produced by the collation and interpretation of a wide range of information, much of which is spatially variable and not always available in a consistent and convenient form. The map depicts mineral resources of current or potential future economic interest in the area. It comprises a 1:500 000 scale map (which accompanies this report) depicting marine aggregate (sand and gravel) resources on the sea bed, and two 1:1 500 000 scale maps (as annexes in this report) depicting coal and evaporite resources at depth beneath the sea bed. These map scales are convenient for the overall display of the data. However, all the data are held digitally at larger scales using a Geographical Information System (GIS), which allows for revision, updating and customisation of the information, together with integration with other datasets

Vietnam - Hanoi city material flows

This report describes the first phase of research for a minerals materials flow analysis in an Asian Megacity. This consists of a scoping study to assess the feasibility of conducting material flow analysis (MFA) for Hanoi, with a particular focus on assessing the availability of required data. The availability of data on the production, trade, consumption, and demand for constructionrelated mineral commodities at a national, regional and city level within Vietnam was assessed. Although current levels of publically available data are insufficient to allow a full MFA analysis we present the results obtained from a preliminary analysis of material supply and demand in Hanoi. Supply and demand scenarios up to 2030 for several commodities important for the construction sector have been evaluated. Recommendations are also made for future application of MFA in Hanoi. This research was supported by BGS NC-ODA grant NE/R000069/1 entitled Geoscience for Sustainable Futures. It was delivered via the BGS Asian Cities Official Development Assistance (ODA) Research Platform