The Waste Development Plan Document for Wakefield District has involved various stages of public consultation and engagement. The comments received during the consultation have been taken into account in the preparation of this document.

The Waste Development Plan Document will provide the detailed policy framework for assessing planning applications for waste related developments and also allocate sites for a range of new waste management facilities to meet our recycling and recovery targets in the period to 2026.  It will set out how we will manage and treat waste from industrial and business sources as well as from our homes.  

The Waste Development Plan Document is one of the key elements of Wakefield’s Local Development Framework.  Specifically, it aims to: 

• reduce or minimise the amount of waste we produce;
• recycle as much as possible rather than send waste to landfill sites in line with national and regional policy; and
• re-use waste as a resource, wherever possible.  

We have now reached the final stage of the process for preparing this document.

The Waste Development Plan Document was published in order to hear your views on the ‘soundness’ of the document. Representations on the soundness of the document were invited during a six week period from 5 March 2009 to 15 April 2009.  A summary of the comments received and the Council's response is set out in the Regulation 30(1)(e) Statement which can now be viewed (see 'Downloads').

The following documents are available for inspection:-

• Waste Development Plan Document

This sets out vision, objectives, strategy and detailed policies for managing waste in the Wakefield District.

• Sustainability Appraisal Report

This sets out the likely significant social, economic and environmental effects of the Waste Development Plan Document.

The following supporting documents are also available for information:-

• Site Appraisal for Waste Management Facilities Report, which assesses the suitability of sites;
  
• Appropriate Assessment Screening Report which assesses the likely impact of the policies and sites on Denby Grange Colliery Ponds Special Area of Conservation;
  
• Statement of Pre-Submission Consultation, which sets out details of the consultation undertaken in preparing the Waste Development Plan Document;
  
• Evidence Base Report, which provides information about the amounts and types of waste we need to plan for; and
  
• Soundness Self-Assessment, which explains how we have satisfied the government’s requirements and regulations.

The Waste Development Plan Document has now been submitted to the Secretary of State.  An independent Planning Inspector will be appointed to assess the soundness of the Waste Document.  The inspector’s report will be legally binding - this means that we must make changes to the document in line with their recommendations.

If you would like to talk to a planning officer about any aspect of the Waste Development Plan Document and other supporting documents, please contact the Spatial Policy Group on 01924 306495 / 306763 / 306617.