Section 2.3.3 - Facilities for disposal of inert materials
This is the first time I have seen this particular sector included in the development plan (perhaps previous inclusions were listed in other document sections). If the Council propose including this section, then it needs to be more direct and less ambiguous.
Currently the plan states that such facilities shall only be permitted at APPROPRIATE LOCATIONS. This is a non specific description and open to interpretation. The specifics of an appropriate location should include:
1) Any location currently below the Acquifer is not a suitable location and will not be grtanted permission.
2) Any location that has been left unused and has subsequently developed it's own biodiverse ecology is not a suitable locaton and will not be granted permission.
3) Any location that does not already have a suitable and adequate road infrastructure and capcity for additional HGV traffic accessing the facility is not a suitable location and will not be granted permission
The use of the word 'SIGNIFICANT' in relation to adverse impacts on a designated European site should be deleted and replaced with the word 'ANY'. Under EU regulations, there is an onus on any applicant to prove beyond any reasonable scientific doubt, that their proposed development will NOT have any effect on any European Designated sites.
It should be CONDITIONAL of any grant of permission for any applicant of an inert facility that they can only operate as an inert facility and that no future derrogations can be sought to alter the classifacation of waste being accepted into the facility.