Soft Sand Review Update
April 21, 2020
Kirsten Williamson, Planning Policy Lead, gives the latest update on the Soft Sand Single Issue Review.
We held a consultation from January to early March 2020 on the draft Soft Sand Single Issue Review (SSR). If adopted, the SSR will replace the soft sand policies in the West Sussex Joint Minerals Local Plan. The SSR proposes three allocations for soft sand. The first, Ham Farm, is outside of the SDNP. The other two proposed allocations are extensions to sites with existing planning permission within the SDNP. The site allocations are set in a policy framework that looks for soft sand resource outside of the SDNP in the first instances and seeks to avoid, minimise and mitigate any impacts that arise from development.
The next step will be an Examination in Public which will be led by an independent Planning Inspector. Around 80 people and organisations responded to the consultation and all correspondence will be forwarded directly to the Planning Inspectorate (with the SSR and all the supporting documents) by the end of April. It is hoped that the Examination will take place this summer. As the Planning Inspectorate is not able to hold public hearing sessions at the moment, our examination may be postponed. All the relevant information will be made available on the website for our work on waste and minerals with West Sussex County Council: www.westsussex.gov.uk/mwdf