Worcestershire County Council

Worcestershire Minerals Local Plan: Adoption Statement

Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended)

In accordance with Regulations 17, 26 and 35 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 notice is hereby given that Worcestershire County Council adopted the Worcestershire Minerals Local Plan on 14th July 2022. The Worcestershire Minerals Local Plan was subject to independent examination by Beverley Wilders BA (Hons) PgDurp MRTPI and Elizabeth Ord LLB (Hons), LLM, MA, DipTUS, the Planning Inspectors appointed by the Secretary of State. In the Inspectors' Report on the Examination of the Worcestershire Minerals Local Plan, issued on 6th May 2022 the Inspectors confirmed that, subject to a number of main modifications listed in Appendix 1 of their report, the Plan was sound and capable of adoption. The recommended main modifications, along with some additional modifications (minor alterations to aid the clarity and internal consistency of the document which, taken together, do not materially affect the policies in the plan) have been included in the adopted Worcestershire Minerals Local Plan.

The Worcestershire Minerals Local Plan is now part of the Development Plan and will be used by Worcestershire County Council's planning officers and Planning and Regulatory Committee to make decisions about planning applications for mineral extraction, processing and restoration. It will also be used by the City, Borough and District Councils in Worcestershire to ensure other types of development do not sterilise mineral resources or negatively impact mineral infrastructure. It supersedes the "saved" policies in the County of Herefordshire and Worcestershire Minerals Local Plan (April 1997) in so far as they apply to Worcestershire.
Any person aggrieved by the Worcestershire Minerals Local Plan may make an application to the High Court under Section 113 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 on the ground that -

(a) the document is not within the appropriate power as conferred by Part 2 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004;

(b) a procedural requirement has not been complied with.

Any such application must be made to the High Court not later than 26th August 2022. This represents a period of six weeks for applications beginning with the day after the date on which the Local Plan was adopted. The Worcestershire Minerals Local Plan cannot be questioned in any legal proceedings except in so far as is provided by Section 113.
The following documents have been published on Worcestershire County Council's website at

. They can also be inspected at County Hall reception (Spetchley Road, Worcester, WR5 2NP), during normal office hours and at public libraries in Worcestershire (opening hours at

).

i) The Worcestershire Minerals Local Plan

ii) This adoption statement

iii) The sustainability appraisal report

iv) Strategic Environmental Assessment adoption statement

Dated: 14 July 2022.

JOHN HOBBS, Strategic Director of Economy and Infrastructure: Worcestershire County Council, County Hall, Spetchley Road, Worcester WR5 2NP