Westmorland and Furness Call for Sites 2024: Minerals

Overview

Westmorland and Furness Council is producing a new Local Plan for the district.  This will include policies for minerals and waste which, once adopted, will replace the policies in the Cumbria Minerals and Waste Local Plan.

The Cumbria Minerals and Waste Local Plan currently allocates the following sites for minerals extraction within the Westmorland and Furness district: 

• Preferred Areas: M18 – Stamphill, Long Marton for gypsum; M27 – land adjacent Roosecote quarry, Barrow-in-Furness for sand and gravel;
• Areas of Search: M5 – land adjacent High Greenscoe quarry, near Dalton-in-Furness for brickmaking mudstones; M12 – land near to Roosecote quarry, Barrow-in-Furness for sand and gravel; M16 – land adjacent to Holmescales quarry, near Kendal for high specification roadstones; M30 – land adjacent to Roan Edge quarry, near New Hutton for high specification roadstones.

In addition, a number of existing railheads and wharves within the district are currently safeguarded in relation to the transportation of aggregates, namely Barrow Port and rail sidings, and the rail sidings at Shap Beck quarry, Shapfell quarry, Shap Blue quarry and Kirkby Thore gypsum works.

Supply and demand for aggregates - principally crushed rock (limestone, sandstone and igneous rocks such as granite) and sand/gravel – is assessed jointly across the sub-region of Cumbria (Cumberland Council, Westmorland and Furness Council and the Lake District National Park Authority).   Currently, only the need for additional supplies of sand and gravel has been identified across the sub-region and there are no concerns regarding the future supply of crushed rock at this time. 

The council is therefore particularly keen to hear from developers/landowners wishing to bring forward sites for sand and gravel extraction.  Sites submitted for other minerals will also be taken into consideration when reviewing which Site Allocations for minerals should be included in the new Westmorland and Furness Local Plan.  

The council will also be contacting the owners/proposers of all current Site Allocations for minerals to seek confirmation that they wish to continue with that site and to ask for any more up-to-date information that may now be available regarding its viability.  This is because the council needs to demonstrate that these sites are available and deliverable within the Plan period if required.

Minerals planning authorities are also required to safeguard existing, planned and potential sites for the bulk transport, handling and processing of minerals, the manufacture of concrete and concrete products and the handling, processing and distribution of substitute, recycled and secondary aggregate material.  You may use this form to inform us of any such infrastructure that you consider should be safeguarded within the new Local Plan.