ANGUS LOCAL PLAN REVIEW FINALISED PLAN - Angus Council

SEQUENTIAL APPROACH FOR MINERAL EXTRACTION,LANDFILL AND LAND RAISE PROPOSALS3.94 Proposals for mineral extraction, landfill and land raise development canresult in significant issues of potential impact on the wider Angus environmentand amenity enjoyed by residents and local communities. It is consideredappropriate to establish a sequential approach to directing development, takingfull account of a hierarchy of international, national and local designations. Thehierarchy seeks to direct development to the least sensitive areas.3.95 As the impact of different types of development on designations andother identified features varies, certain factors appear in different levels on thehierarchy. For instance prime agricultural land is in a lower level for renewableenergy development than the others as the potential land take is relatively low.Policy ER38 : Sequential Approach for Mineral Extraction, Landfill andLand Raise ProposalsProposals for mineral extraction, landfill and land raise developmentmust demonstrate and satisfy a sequential consideration of theinternational, national and locally important planning designationsdetailed in Table 3.1.This broad sequentialapproach based on thehierarchy of naturalheritage designations issupported in a range ofNPPGs including NPPG14: Natural Heritage.The hierarchy alsoincludesfactorsconsidered important inAngus, includingsettlement developmentboundaries, distance froma Trunk or “A” Class road,coastal sand and dunesystems, and river andstream beds.Level 1: International Designations:Development that would have an adverse impact on the conservationinterests of international designations will only be permitted where:• there are reasons of overriding public interest; and• there is no alternative solution (including the full exploration ofalternative sites in levels 2, 3 and 4).Level 2: National Designations:Development that would have an adverse impact on a designated area ofnational importance will only be permitted where:• the designation objectives and overall integrity of the area will not becompromised; or• any significant adverse impact on the area are clearly outweighed bysocial or economic benefits of national importance; or• no suitable alternative site is available in levels 3 and 4.Level 3: Local Designations:Development that would have a significant adverse impact on localdesignations or features will only be permitted where:• the importance or value of the designation or feature to localenvironmental quality is clearly outweighed by the local economic andsocial benefits ; and• no suitable alternative site is available in level 4.Level 4: Preferred Areas:Development may be permitted subject to local circumstances andamenity considerations.Angus Local Plan Review94Finalised Plan