The ESCC Waste and Mineral Development Framework (WMDF)will soon reach a crucial stage

The Background

The 'WMDF' is the most important document for BALI. In February 2006, the ESCC Waste Local Plan (WLP) got us into this mess by 'designating Ashdown as the only suitable site for landfill in East Sussex'. The WMDF might well get us out of it as it will replace the WLP and is considering the handling of waste in East Sussex entirely anew and does not need to follow the WLP.

BALI has been in on the WMDF consultations since the beginning, first in 2007 with the 'Sustainability Appraisal: Scoping Report' which posed broad questions to stimulate debate such as whether waste should be handled in small local (e.g. district) facilities or larger (up to regional) facilities. The last stage in March- April 2008 was called 'Issues and Options', where the County Council set out all the relevant waste and mineral issues or 'choices' that should be considered when developing the new 'waste strategy' and deciding on suitable sites for waste treatment and disposal. BALI made a detailed submission on this document a copy of which is available free of charge.

Next stage

The next stage will be the development of a 'Preferred Strategy' (document) where the council will choose its preferred options for dealing with waste. This document will 'identify strategic locations for key significant future waste site but not specific sites'. There will be a full consultation on this stage as previously and BALI will make submissions.

The stage after that will get into the selection of specific sites. Of course it will consider Ibstock's Ashdown site, but it will also consider sites previously rejected (like Mountfield) and entirely new locations.

What will be the WMDF's criteria for handling waste?

This is complex and as yet not fully decided. A lot of the WMDF is boringly detailed and difficult to read. However, landfill is considered a 'last resort' at the bottom of the 'waste hierarchy', the top being the reduction, reuse and recycling of waste. The Spatial Vision, setting out 5 objectives, is just about comprehensible and worth taking the trouble to read. Most of it, BALI would agree with, but not that East Sussex should provide for 'disposing of a proportion of London waste'.

How can BALI influence the process so that Ashdown is excluded from the WMDF?

Our Chairman, Nick Hollington, has so far been representing BALI in the ESC consultation and has made various submissions. However he considers that his own efforts will be insufficient in the next crucial stages. We will need experts. BALI will meet soon to consider whether now is the time to re-engage our planning consultant, Geoff Smith of DMH Stallard, and perhaps later, a barrister to fight our corner and do our best to try to make sure Ashdown is not selected in the WMDF as a suitable site for landfill. This will be expensive and our 'war chest' will be needed to be called upon.

Note: the timing of the next stages of the WMDF is not all clear. As Geoff Smith has said 'it moves at 'dinosaur pace'. The next stage is likely to be not until late Summer or even Autumn 2009.