PPS10 planning package may fail on waste, ESA warns

Speaking at a financial sector conference in London last Friday, Dirk Hazell – chief executive of the ESA, which represents the UK's waste management industry – explained that there are several reasons why PPS10 could fail to deliver.

”The bottom line is that spending on waste management must double.“
– Dirk Hazell, Environmental Services Association
He also commented on the need for a new approach “to funding more sustainable management of the municipal waste stream”.

PPS10
The draft planning paper PPS10 was published for consultation at the end of 2004, with the claim from the government then that it should provide sufficient clarity at regional and local levels to ensure that sufficient waste management facilities receive planning consent (see letsrecycle.com story). The consultation closed in March 2005.

Mr Hazell commented that there were four key features of PPS10:

• Integration of spatial planning with municipal waste management strategies
• The replacement of a specific BPEO objective with a sustainability appraisal and a strategic environmental assessment
• Emphasis on regular monitoring and review, and
• Greater role for the regions, including apportionment of waste to be managed by waste planning authorities.

Apportionment
Referring to the apportionment idea, Mr Hazell said: “Local authorities need to know what is expected of them by the regional planning body. It seems obvious to ESA that the apportioned figure needs to be available to local authorities as soon as possible to enable them to plan and prepare their Waste Development Framework.

“However, PPS10 contains no hint of a timetable for regional planning bodies to complete this important task. Without a timetable, there is widespread concern within the industry that the apportionment process could be subject to considerable delay.

BPEO
A further difficulty could be with the abolition of the BPEO – best practical environmental option – assessment. Instead councils will have to consider sustainability and the environment within their new Waste Development Frameworks instead, but it looks likely that these frameworks may not be ready for two years or more.

Planning officers
Mr Hazell then turned to the planning departments within local authorities who will have to prepare a Local Development Framework by 2007 which will be used in part for the Waste Development Framework.

“We believe councils need more assistance and advice than the government is currently providing. We want help to spread best practice. ESA has consistently pushed for a specific commitment from the government to provide model policies and plans to help local authorities effectively and efficiently to produce a Waste Development Framework. Again, PPS10 is silent on this matter.”

Muncipal waste
On municipal waste expenditure, the ESA chief executive told his audience that the average annual cost per household in the UK is about 75, while in North Rhine Westphalia, Germany the cost is about 190 in urban centres and in the Netherlands 170.

“In the UK only one thousandth of local authority spending is on recycling. It is hardly surprising therefore that only 120 kg of municipal waste per person is diverted from landfill in the UK, compared to nearly half a tonne in Germany and more than five times as much in Denmark.

“The bottom line,” said Mr Hazell, “is that spending on waste management must double.”