§ Sir Trevor SkeetTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he proposes to publish new guidance on the supply of construction aggregates.
§ Mr. ChopePlanning guidelines for aggregates provision in England and Wales are being published today in mineral planning guidance note 6 and I have arranged for copies to be placed in the Library. It updates and replaces advice issued previously in DOE circular 21/82 and Welsh Office circular 30/82 and has been prepared following a public consultation exercise in 1988. The guidelines recognise that there is a need to ensure continuity of supplies to the construction industry of basic raw materials, and to meet demand. However, it is very important to strike the best balance of social, environmental and economic costs, and the guidelines demonstrate the burden of responsibility on mineral planning authorities in deciding applications for aggregate mineral extraction.
649WAggregates working is often noisy, dusty and visually intrusive and the Government believe that industry, in consultation with local planning authorities, should make every effort to reduce these damaging effects. There is also a need to apply the national and regional guidelines at the mineral planning authority level and the Government believe that this important work should be treated as a priority task by the planning authorities and the regional aggregates working parties. In addition this recent review of the guidelines and the public consultation exercise have highlighted a number of long-term supply issues and these will be addressed by the Government through the Department of the Environment's mineral planning research programme.