Planning for Sustainable Waste Management (PPS10)

• Posted by Karyn Middleton on 2nd Apr ’07 at 09:44 BST
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The arrival of PPS10: Planning for Sustainable Waste Management (July 2005) has impacted on the way in which Local Planning Authorities prepare Development Plans (Local Plans and Local Development Frameworks).

Local Authorities are now under obligation to better integrate Waste Management within their policies. This requirement has consequently instigated the emergence of Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD) for Waste Minimisation in Development Projects.

Gloucestershire County Council published SPD on Waste Minimisation in September 2006 which most notably introduced the requirement for all applications for Major Development to be supported by a Waste Minimisation Statement (WMS).

Waste Minimisation Statements

The assessment criteria for WMSs require more than a broad commitment to sustainable waste minimisation. The onus is on the developer to demonstrate how waste management is being addressed at all stages of the development process. WMSs are required to provide details on projected waste materials and quantities, as well as the methods of monitoring and re-use during the design, demolition, and construction stages. Furthermore waste management measures to be implemented during operation (e.g. recycling box/residual bin requirements) also need to be addressed.

David Jones, Head of Planning at Evans Jones LLP commented; “The initial response from planning professionals and developers with regard to the recently published Supplementary Planning Guidance on Waste Minimisation has largely been skeptical.

Incorporating waste minimisation and the efficient use of building materials is crucial in reducing landfill and contributing to sustainability agendas. The principal of waste minimisation in development is not refuted, reservation is however held over whether such information is being requested at the right stage. For example there is often a degree of uncertainty regarding design and materials for schemes submitted in outline form. In this instance there will undoubtedly be a degree of ambiguity over the level of detail required.

A more appropriate solution would be to request information on waste minimisation by means of a planning condition; once planning permission has been granted developers are in a better position to specify materials and detail construction plans, consequently integrating waste minimisation measures”.

For many the requirement for WMSs is clearly another ‘tick in the box’ to enable application registration. However, WMSs have now become a material consideration and therefore development professionals will need to become familiar with their function to enable the successful determination of all applications for Major Development.

Evans Jones is experienced in preparing Waste Management Statements for applications requiring Environmental Impact Assessments, of which predominately have the same assessment criterions as WMSs. The Evans Jones cross-departmental alliance enables sharing of technical knowledge and more realistic waste minimisation measures to be identified that otherwise could not be achieved by planning consultants and architects alone.

For more information on the implications of PPS10: Planning for Sustainable Waste Management and Waste Minimisation Statements please do not hesitate to contact Evans Jones Planning Division.