WOKING COUNCIL KEEN TO COMMENT ON NEW MINERALS PLAN

A county-wide consultation exercise, which focuses on the extraction, storage and transportation of Surrey's minerals, went under the spotlight at a meeting of Woking Borough Council's Executive last night (Thursday 1 June).

Councillors considered the Surrey Minerals Plan Preferred Option Consultation, produced by Surrey County Council, and agreed on Woking's response to suggestions about how minerals should be dealt with in the future.

The new Surrey Minerals Plan will replace the existing 1993 plan and will serve two purposes. Firstly, it will inform the public and minerals operators about where mineral extraction will be acceptable and secondly it will provide criteria against which planning applications for mineral-related development will be considered in the future.

Although the paper lists `preferred locations' for development throughout Surrey, none of these locations are within Woking Borough.

Following last night's meeting, Woking Borough Council will now respond that it:

· supports the paper's principle of transporting minerals by rail

· is content with the paper's Green Belt policy which explains that mineral development sites will only be permitted in the Green Belt in very special circumstances

· objects to the suggestion that existing rail depots for minerals should be safeguarded, and would prefer more suitable locations to be taken into consideration.

Although there is currently a rail depot for minerals at Victoria Arch, the Council is not keen for this to be safeguarded in the future because the land could be better used for residential and mixed use development. In addition, the amount of HGVs going to and from the site is disruptive to local residents and generally access to the site is substandard and could compromise safety.

Cllr Philip Goldenberg, Woking Borough Council's Portfolio Holder for Planning Policy, said: "Although the Council is very keen to express its support for many of the suggestions in this consultation paper, it is unable to support the idea of safeguarding the Victoria Arch depot. This usage is deeply disruptive to local residents, and the site could be better used for higher density residential and mixed use development."

Responses from all of the Surrey boroughs and districts will be collated and considered before the new Surrey Minerals Plan is finalised.

(Reprinted from the Woking Borough Council website)