Frequently Asked Questions

The adopted Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2013-30 (KMWLP) (the Plan) sets out the County Council’s 15-year strategy and policy framework for minerals and waste development in Kent. The Plan includes strategic policies for minerals and waste development, as well as development management policies. The KMWLP together with the Kent Mineral Sites Plan (MSP) form part of the Development Plan which sets out how planning applications and appeals are to be considered for mineral and waste management development. 

The Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2013-30 (KMWLP) was adopted by Kent County Council in July 2016. Following its adoption, an Early Partial Review (EPR) was undertaken which resulted in some limited changes in respect of waste management capacity required to maintain net self-sufficiency and to improve the effectiveness of policies intended to safeguard mineral supply and waste management capacity. The Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2013-30 (KMWLP), as amended by the Early Partial Review (EPR), was adopted in September 2020. 

The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended) and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) state that Local Plans should be reviewed at least once every five years to assess whether they need updating and should then be updated as necessary. The statutory reviews of Local Plans ensure that they remain relevant and fit for purpose and that planning policies, including targets, are still valid, effective and deliverable.

A statutory five-year review of the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan (KMWLP) commenced in 2021. The review found that while much of the Local Plan is still relevant, some updates were needed to respond to changes in government policy and legislation since 2016. Revisions were therefore proposed to the adopted KMWLP including changes to its Vision, Strategic Objectives, policies and supporting text to principally reflect the changes in national policy and guidance since 2016. These included, amongst others, changes to the NPPF, government policy and guidance which concerned the achievement of a circular economy, climate change and protection and enhancement of the natural environment. Revised draft policy and supporting text were prepared and were subject to public consultation between December 2021 to February 2022.

Comments received as a result of the consultation addressed a wide range of planning considerations including the need to extend the Plan period to cover a 15-year period to meet NPPF requirements. In light of the comments received, a revised draft Plan was prepared, which included an updated plan period, and a further public consultation took place between October 2022 and December 2022.

The current public consultation seeks views on some further proposed changes to the Local Plan, these are set out in the draft Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2024-39 Further Proposed Changes Consultation Document.

There are three areas of the KMWLP which are proposed for further material changes. These are summarised as follows:

1. Changes to Policy CSM 2, and associated supporting text, relating to the quantity of land-won aggregate mineral to be planned for;
2. Deletion of Policy CSW 5 that allocates land for an extension to Norwood Quarry, Isle of Sheppey for filling with hazardous flue ash; and
3. Deletion of paragraph 6.3.3 (and associated sub-title) which concerns making specific provision within Kent for the management of residual non-hazardous waste, by landfill or energy recover, that arises in London.

The consultation document sets out an explanation of why the further changes are proposed.

Comments received during the consultation will help the County Council decide how and whether these changes should be included in the version of the KMWLP that will be submitted for Independent Examination by the Planning Inspectorate.

Once the consultation has closed, a final draft (Regulation 19) version of the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2024-39 will be prepared that takes account of the comments made during the late 2022 consultation and this summer 2023 consultation.