Minerals Planning is about making sure a county has an adequate and steady supply of minerals available - via minerals plans, monitoring mineral use and determining minerals planning applications.
Mineral Planners obviously need to work with the industry - as well as other stakeholders: the public, landowners, and others - to make sure the required minerals are delivered in the best and most sustainable way, whilst managing potentially conflicting plans for land use. They should be objective and impartial. They should not be in bed with the minerals industry.
The minerals industry would of course prefer it if they were, and through the Institute of Quarrying, and Quarry Products Association Northern Ireland, offer various training courses "to better inform mineral planners about resource planning", and no doubt while they're at it, help shape their thinking to be more in-tune to the minerals industry too. As one Regional Director sees it:
I’m a firm believer that if regulators and planners are making critical decisions about the industry, they should be part of it.
Which says it all. But lest we forget, councils are in place for everyone, not just cement multinationals.
