3. THE VISION AND OBJECTIVES

The Local Plan is underpinned by a ‘vision’ and ‘objectives’ to realise the vision. Policies and proposals set out through the plan reflect the vision and objectives.

The vision is about stating the desired outcome for the future, and therefore is the cornerstone for the Local Plan. The vision for the Local Plan is strongly based around how minerals and waste development will contribute to the management of the significant growth that is taking place in the county.

The objectives are derived from, and support, the vision and should be clearly defined and measurable. They should also seek to build upon national planning policy, but provide a Northamptonshire perspective.

This is about ensuring that growth and development in Northamptonshire, and particularly how the homes and jobs that will be needed to forge sustainable new communities and reshape existing communities in a more sustainable way, are not hindered by (a) an inadequate supply of minerals to build or reshape the county’s communities, or (b) having waste management facilities that are badly sited and therefore not integrated or linked with the communities that generate the waste.

This is about optimising the use of resources by making sure that only those that are really needed are used and that sustainable alternatives are used instead. Resources in this context also include man-made resources.

This acknowledges that minerals and waste related development is predominantly private sector led; except for that related to municipal waste, which is increasingly being secured through council procurement processes. It is about the Local Plan needing to give clear signposting to the industry and to investors in the industry over where they should invest and how by doing so, it can be related to other investment that is coming into Northamptonshire.

This is about ensuring that the spatial strategy that is chosen for extraction is one that results in the delivery of the minerals required to meet the required provision rates; sand and gravel extraction is highlighted because of the history of the low landbank for this resource in the county.

This is about ensuring that the spatial strategy chosen for locating waste management facilities is one that meets the national requirements of being both urban-focused, having communities take more responsibility for the waste they generate and preferably integrating rather than separating out facilities where this is appropriate.

This objective is about ensuring that in a county where much new development is planned, those aggregates that are produced are not used where lesser quality, previously used or non-mineral materials could be used instead.

This is about ensuring that, in a county where there are not ample supplies of resources of economic importance that are readily extractable, those resources that are present are not unnecessarily sterilised by other development. This is particularly important in a county where there will be a greater amount of greenfield development compared to other areas of the country.

This is about ensuring that the waste management (and disposal) facilities in the county are not compromised by new non-waste development in their vicinity. Notably where existing facilities at the edge of, or near to, urban areas are finding that the county’s growth is resulting in new urban extensions and other development being planned around them.

This objective is about encouraging the use of local building materials where these can be used to retain the local identity of the Northamptonshire townscape, streetscape and landscape, or to encourage it where this identity is not as strong as it could be. At the same time these building materials should be used for this specific purpose of promoting identity rather than simply being used as general aggregates.

This is about ensuring that new or extended minerals and waste related uses not only do not damage or destroy the county’s existing environmental and natural assets, but that opportunities are taken (including via restoration) to enhance existing and planned green infrastructure networks and to support the identified landscape character areas of the county.

This is about not simply promoting restoration to the previous use when temporary minerals and waste uses cease, but to use such restoration to increase biodiversity or other natural assets (for example), and that the results of the restoration are subsequently properly managed and maintained.

This objective is about ensuring that minerals and waste development, either alone or cumulatively, does not damage existing or planned amenity, or cause health and safety difficulties; furthermore that opportunities are taken to link such development with recreational uses where this is practicable.