For any reader enthused by the exciting world of mineral planning - here’s the industry’s perspective:
Judicial Review is obviously seen as a threat by both operators and councils, and crops up a couple of times during the presentation.
The Mineral Products Association, in its 6th Annual Mineral Planning Survey Report 2017, also bemoans the time it takes to win planning consent, and reckons that "Typically, it takes between 5 to 15 years to convert sites from exploration into active operational sites."
If operators are anything like Aggregate Industries, we can see why. At Straitgate Farm, exploration started in the 1960s - and in 2018 the company is still asking for extensions of time.
