Regulation 19 Rutland Local Plan

Waste

Capacity Requirements and Spatial Strategy for Waste Development

What will the policy do?

Rutland is the Waste Planning Authority (WPA) for the administrative area of Rutland. In line with national policy, the policy identifies the level of need for the management of waste streams throughout the plan period and plans for the provision of new capacity by identifying sufficient opportunities to meet the identified needs of Rutland. The Local Plan also sets out development criteria against which planning applications will be assessed.

Why is this policy needed?

The NPPF does not specifically address waste matters. Detailed waste planning policies are set out in the National Planning Policy for Waste (NPPW). The NPPW is to be read in conjunction with the NPPF, the Waste Management Plan for England and National Policy Statements (NPS) for wastewater and hazardous waste.

All forms of development and activities produce waste. It is important in creating sustainable communities that waste management is incorporated into new development and that there is a social change towards recognising waste as a resource and where communities and businesses take more responsibility for the waste they produce.

It is estimated that Rutland produces just under 90,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of various types of waste, including municipal (24%), commercial and industrial (23%), construction, demolition and excavation (53%) and hazardous (1%) as set out in Appendix 7. Rutland does not produce low-level radioactive waste (LLW) from the nuclear industry however a very small amount of LLW from the non-nuclear industry is produced from the Leicestershire and Rutland County areas. Agricultural waste and waste water are also produced in Rutland.

The majority of Rutland's waste is exported to surrounding counties where it is recycled, composted, treated, or disposed of to landfill. Since 2014 a significant proportion (around 40%) of municipal waste, previously disposed of to landfill, has been diverted to an advanced treatment facility in Nottingham for recovery; this continues to occur. Limited advanced treatment of other waste streams has been reported.

The amount of waste generated in Rutland is likely to increase over the plan period, estimated at 118,000 tonnes (t) by 2041, resulting in a capacity gap between current operational capacity and future requirements.

An assessment of the potential future requirements for facilities has demonstrated that there are opportunities in Rutland for increasing the current waste management capacity, particularly in relation to preparing for reuse and recycling, anaerobic digestion and composting.

There is a potential requirement for the following preliminary treatment facilities:

1. one to two small-scale materials recycling facilities, plus either additional capacity at the existing civic amenity sites or additional site(s) as required, and
2. one small scale composting or anaerobic digestion facility.

Given the number and scale of facilities, it is estimated that around three hectares of land is needed to accommodate this requirement.

No specific sites for waste management use have been identified - Policies WST1 and WST2 enable sites to come forward where they are in line with relevant Local Plan policies. The waste management industry is becoming more flexible and therefore identifying specific sites required throughout the plan period may be seen as too rigid and may not reflect advancements in waste management technologies and changes in industry interest. The additional capacity for preparing for reuse and recycling, anaerobic digestion and composting, could be met through (where appropriate) development of new sites, extensions to existing sites, or multiple (complementary) facilities located on one site.

The two existing civic amenity sites in Cottesmore and North Luffenham will be retained. Additional capacity for civic amenity sites will be provided either through an extension to existing sites or where required new site(s) associated with areas of significant development.

The operational capacity for large preliminary and advanced treatment facilities cannot be sustained from waste arisings from within Rutland alone. Over the mid to long-term of the plan period the development of a small-scale advanced treatment facility may become viable. Such development is likely to be more viable within Rutland where the treatment capacity forms an ancillary activity to industrial operations. As such co-location of facilities for advanced treatment with industrial operations where the output(s) are able to be utilised as an alternative fuel or for energy generation is supported. There may be the potential for treatment capacity to be increased through the use of alternative fuels at the nationally significant Ketton Cement Works^[8].

Until such a facility is provided, it is likely that the exporting of waste to surrounding counties for treatment will continue and that amounts will increase in line with meeting waste management targets.

Regional self-sufficiency will be promoted through sustainable patterns of waste movements in relation to urban areas in neighbouring counties. In line with government policy, the need for additional waste management capacity of more than local significance has been taken into account. This involved strategic waste movements being identified and the Council engaging with WPAs accommodating facilities that receive such wastes (originating from Rutland) in line with the Duty to Co-operate. As a result, no strategic matters were identified regarding continuation of such waste movements. The County recognises the importance of cross-boundary movements and will continue to co-operate with relevant WPAs to address strategic matters and facilitate the continuation of such arrangements.

Waste related development will be predominantly focused in Oakham, Uppingham, and the Larger Villages in line with the spatial strategy. This will maximise the use of existing infrastructure networks and facilitate communities and businesses taking greater responsibility for their waste. Waste developments should be co-located together and with complementary activities, for example within industrial areas or integrated with new residential and commercial development.

Development on the edge of Stamford, large redevelopments, or other similar proposals would be considered where consistent with the role of the locale in accordance with spatial strategy and hierarchy. Facilities in these areas should deal with the waste generated from identified urban areas or the redevelopment and on-going use of such establishments. The co-location of waste management facilities together and with complementary activities is supported.

In other areas, including the countryside, redundant agricultural and forestry buildings and their curtilages may also provide suitable opportunities for preliminary treatment - in particular for the management of agricultural wastes or where a rural location is more appropriate due to the nature of operations or the relationship with rural activities, for example composting and anaerobic digestion.

Facilities for inert recycling should be directed towards industrial sites and where associated with the re-use of previously development land such as existing waste sites, as an ancillary activity on existing mineral extraction sites or disused railheads and wharves. Where a site is subject to redevelopment, there may be an opportunity to accommodate temporary plant: however, the operational life would be limited to that of the redevelopment.

The deposit of inert waste to land should be directed towards permitted mineral extraction sites in order to facilitate restoration. The deposit of inert waste to land for the purpose of engineering works, agricultural improvement or land reclamation should demonstrate that the proposal would not divert significant amounts of inert waste material from mineral sites and would not prejudice restoration of mineral extraction sites. The deposition of inert waste to land may also constitute recovery in some cases (where in compliance with Environmental Permitting Regulations), in particular where associated with the restoration of permitted mineral extraction sites.

There are currently no operational non-hazardous landfill^[9] sites within Rutland. The County is not considered appropriate as an area to accommodate a new landfill site. The exporting of waste to surrounding counties for disposal to landfill will continue but the amount of waste requiring disposal is anticipated to reduce as the capacity of other forms of waste management increases.

There are currently no facilities for the management or disposal of hazardous and radioactive wastes within Rutland. The County does not produce substantial quantities of these waste materials and is not considered an appropriate location for such facilities.

It is essential that adequate sewage and waste water infrastructure is in place prior to development taking place in order to avoid unacceptable impacts on the environment, such as sewage flooding residential or commercial properties, or the pollution of land and watercourses.

The location of new Sewage Treatment Works (STWs) is often constrained by the need to be in proximity to a watercourse that is able to receive effluent discharge however, this should have regard to the spatial strategy for waste management (Policy WST1). In addition, it is often preferable for STWs to be located away from residential development to ensure potential environmental health impacts (e.g., odour) are minimised.

No specific sites for sewage and waste water have been identified. Where an increase in sewage and waste water treatment capacity is required to serve existing or proposed development, in accordance with the adopted Development Plan, or in the interests of long-term waste water management, such development (including extensions) will normally be permitted where in compliance with relevant policies of this Local Plan, particularly Policy WST2. There may be potential for sewage treatment sites to accommodate other waste management facilities or joint arrangements such as co-composting or anaerobic digestion which utilise household waste and sewage sludge.

Supporting evidence

Local Waste Needs Assessment (August 2023)
Waste Spatial Strategy (October 2023)