(Cllr Rayner left the room during the duration of this item and did not vote)

The Lead Member for Planning introduced the report that sought approval to publish a document on the potentially allocation of Bray Quarry Extension in the emerging Joint Minerals and Waste Plan for consultation.

Cabinet were informed that there was a lot of focus on housing and the Borough Local Plan but there were other supporting policies that were required such as the Minerals and Waste Plan.

The Council had been working with Bracknell Forest, Reading and Wokingham Borough councils to produce a Joint Minerals and Waste Plan. A draft version of the Plan was published in August 2018 for consultation.  It was then decided to undertake a further call for sites and one new site, Bray Quarry Extension, was put forward by the minerals and waste industry.  This would be a continuation of sand and gravel extraction at the Bray site, which had a long history of mineral workings.  Minerals would be transported by conveyor belt to the nearby Monkey Island processing plant in order to reduce HGV movements.  Cabinet were asked to approve a focused consultation on the proposed amendments.

The Chairman asked who owned the site and was informed that it was Summerleaze and due to the conveyor belt there would not be a sharp rise in HGV movement.

Resolved unanimously:  that Cabinet notes the report and:

i)     Approves a consultation, under Regulation 18 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) Regulation 2012, on the possible inclusion of a new site (Bray Quarry Extension) in the Proposed Submission version of the Joint Central and Eastern Berkshire Minerals & Waste Plan;

ii)    Approves the publication of consultation documents related to the Bray Quarry Extension site; and

iii)   Authorises the Head of Planning, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder, to make any minor amendments necessary to the consultation documents related to the Bray Quarry Extension site prior to community involvement.