Agenda item

            The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Environment on the approval for Public Consultation: Merseyside Joint Waste Development Plan Document – Preferred Options Report.

 

            The Board were advised that the Waste Development Plan Document (Waste DPD) had been produced by the Merseyside Environmental Advisory Services (MEAS) on behalf of the six greater Merseyside districts (which included Halton). The process was led by a Steering Group and overseen by the City Region Cabinet. Two public consultation stages had already been completed in 2007 and 2009, the results of which had all been used to inform the preparation of the third public consultation stage – Preferred Options.

 

            The Preferred Options Report outlined the overarching strategy for waste management referred to as the Resource Recovery-led Strategy, and sets out site allocations for waste management together with a supportive policy framework. Key issues covered in the report included:

 

·        Needs assessment and sites requirements;

·        Proposed site allocations for built facilities for waste uses;

·        Proposed landfill site allocations;

·        Policy on energy from waste; and

·        Development of management policies.

 

            Members were advised that a six –week public consultation period would start on 18 February and end on 31 March 2010. In addition, the process would include statutory press notices and press releases, email and letter communication with all individuals and organisations on the Waste DPD database, together with copies of the report made available for public inspection at Council offices and public libraries. All responses, once evaluated, would feed into a Submission Document to be published early in 2011 and eventually submitted to Government for formal consideration and scrutiny in March 2011. The final stage of the process would result in the adoption of the Waste DPD by each of the Merseyside districts as its statutory spatial plan for waste scheduled for 2012.

 

Three sites had been identified within Halton and the locations detailed in paragraph 4.8 of the report. Members sought to reassure the public in attendance at the meeting that at this stage no decisions had been made about these locations and that the public consultation process would give everyone an opportunity to make their views known.

 

            Reason(s ) for Decision:

 

The Regional Spatial Strategy and government policy (PPS10) required that waste must be dealt with in a sustainable way. The Council was involved in producing a Joint Waste Development Plan Document (DPD) for the Merseyside sub-region. Drafting of the Plan had reached the stage where the policy framework contained in the Waste DPD needed to be subject to public scrutiny.

 

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

 

The Waste DPD had been prepared through a multi-stage process. Two public consultation stages had been completed:

 

•           Issues and Options took place in March and April 2007.

•           Spatial Strategy and Sites stage took place between December

            2008 and January 2009.

 

These reports document the evolution of the Plan and the options for

policies and sites that had been considered and rejected. The results of the public consultation, engagement with stakeholders, industry and the Local Authorities and, detailed technical assessments had all been used to inform the preparation of this Report, forming a third public consultation stage. The Preferred Options Report set out the alternative options considered.

           

            Implementation Date:

 

The Joint Merseyside Waste DPD was scheduled to be adopted by all the six partner Districts in April 2012.

 

 

                        RESOLVED: That Council be recommended that:-

 

(1)               subject to the detailed comment in paragraph 4.20 to 4.26 of the report, the Preferred Options Report be approved and endorsed for public consultation purposes; and

 

(2)               the commencement of the six-week public consultation process on the Waste DPD Preferred Options Report during February 2010 be agreed.