MoreThanWaste.com - Greater Manchester Council launch waste planning consultation (14/05/2007)

"Waste facilities are often not popular, but using new technologies and facilities that are properly located and designed can help to provide sustainable solutions to solve our waste problem"

Richard Leyshon, Chair of the GM Officer Waste Planning Steering Group

Greater Manchester Councils' have launched their Issues and Options consultation under planning legislation. The Issues and Options (I&O) stage presents the framework of waste policies for Greater Manchester and how they will be developed.

This is part of the consultation required under the Planning and Compensation Act to establish a Joint Waste Development Plan Document (JWDPD).

The Greater Manchester Geological Unit (GMGU), the body that co-ordinates waste planning, says that due to the depth and breadth of issues to be considered, the I&O report will be prepared in two stages.

Stage One of the consultation covers a number of strategic option issues including:

Viridor's plans at Rochdale (courtesy Viridor)

Aims and objectives,
A waste management needs assessment,
Types of sites and areas required,
How sites and areas should be provided,
Waste treatment technologies,
Site and area locations,
Waste transport,
The need to safeguard sites identified.

All ten councils constituting Greater Manchester are including in the JWDPD, including Wigan which at the time that the former GM Council was dismantled, decided to travel a separate path from the other councils by electing to establish a separate waste disposal authority.

Greater Manchester says that it is important that people get involved now to discuss issues such as how we should be planning for waste, and where we should be siting new waste management facilities across Greater Manchester.

Richard Leyshon, Chair of the Greater Manchester Officer Waste Plan Steering Group, said:

Waste facilities are often not popular, but using new technologies and facilities that are properly located and designed can help to provide sustainable solutions to solve our waste problem. If you have views on how different types of waste should be minimised and treated, what types of waste handling and treatment facilities are needed, how many should be built, where they should go and how they should be designed, this is your chance to make them."

Planning delays

One of the difficulties for Greater Manchester, and also for neighbouring Merseyside, is that there have been some problems at an early stage in the planning process, of co-ordinating the planning units from the constituent authorities. This coupled with some legal issues on how joint working under planning could best be achieved has led to delays in progressing work on the JWDPD.

This has meant that the separate work on the municipal waste strategy produced by the GM Waste Disposal Authority has led the way, including identification of sites, resulting in constraints on what the planners can do in relation to these wastes. However the JWDPD is much wider ranging than the municipal waste strategy and has to cater for commercial and industrial wastes amongst others. The planning document will therefore be an essential tool to establishing sustainable waste management across Greater Manchester.

Both Greater Manchester and Merseyside now seem to be making good progress towards the goal of establishing Waste Development Plan Documents.

Further information

Their 6 week statutory consultation period for Stage One runs from
14th May- 22nd June 2007
More information and a copy of the JWDPD can be found on the Greater Manchester waste DPD website. or by selecting http://consultation.limehouse.co.uk/index.do?identifier=gmgu .


	Greater Manchester Council launch waste planning consultation (14/05/2007) "Waste facilities are often not popular, but using new technologies and facilities that are properly located and designed can help to provide sustainable solutions to solve our waste problem" Richard Leyshon, Chair of the GM Officer Waste Planning Steering Group Greater Manchester Councils' have launched their Issues and Options consultation under planning legislation. The Issues and Options (I&O) stage presents the framework of waste policies for Greater Manchester and how they will be developed. This is part of the consultation required under the Planning and Compensation Act to establish a Joint Waste Development Plan Document (JWDPD). The Greater Manchester Geological Unit (GMGU), the body that co-ordinates waste planning, says that due to the depth and breadth of issues to be considered, the I&O report will be prepared in two stages. Stage One of the consultation covers a number of strategic option issues including: Viridor's plans at Rochdale (courtesy Viridor) Aims and objectives, A waste management needs assessment, Types of sites and areas required, How sites and areas should be provided, Waste treatment technologies, Site and area locations, Waste transport, The need to safeguard sites identified. All ten councils constituting Greater Manchester are including in the JWDPD, including Wigan which at the time that the former GM Council was dismantled, decided to travel a separate path from the other councils by electing to establish a separate waste disposal authority. Greater Manchester says that it is important that people get involved now to discuss issues such as how we should be planning for waste, and where we should be siting new waste management facilities across Greater Manchester. Richard Leyshon, Chair of the Greater Manchester Officer Waste Plan Steering Group, said: Waste facilities are often not popular, but using new technologies and facilities that are properly located and designed can help to provide sustainable solutions to solve our waste problem. If you have views on how different types of waste should be minimised and treated, what types of waste handling and treatment facilities are needed, how many should be built, where they should go and how they should be designed, this is your chance to make them." Planning delays One of the difficulties for Greater Manchester, and also for neighbouring Merseyside, is that there have been some problems at an early stage in the planning process, of co-ordinating the planning units from the constituent authorities. This coupled with some legal issues on how joint working under planning could best be achieved has led to delays in progressing work on the JWDPD. This has meant that the separate work on the municipal waste strategy produced by the GM Waste Disposal Authority has led the way, including identification of sites, resulting in constraints on what the planners can do in relation to these wastes. However the JWDPD is much wider ranging than the municipal waste strategy and has to cater for commercial and industrial wastes amongst others. The planning document will therefore be an essential tool to establishing sustainable waste management across Greater Manchester. Both Greater Manchester and Merseyside now seem to be making good progress towards the goal of establishing Waste Development Plan Documents. Further information Their 6 week statutory consultation period for Stage One runs from 14th May- 22nd June 2007 More information and a copy of the JWDPD can be found on the Greater Manchester waste DPD website. or by selecting http://consultation.limehouse.co.uk/index.do?identifier=gmgu .