THE UK Government has been urged to take ‘urgent action’ to address diminishing reserves of the minerals that are essential for housing and infrastructure.
The call follows a new survey published by the Mineral Products Association, which reveals declining levels of permitted reserves – geological resources for which planning permission has been granted to extract sand and gravel, or crushed rock.
In its latest Annual Mineral Planning Survey (AMPS) report, the MPA says Britain has an abundance of essential mineral resources and is almost entirely self-sufficient in meeting the 250-million-tonne-a-year demand for materials, 30% of which comes from recycled or secondary sources.
However, for more than a decade the rate of consumption – mainly for construction – has not been matched by the rate of approval for new planning consents for quarrying, due to a ‘broken’ mineral planning system that ‘often allows local interests to be prioritised above national need’.
The MPA revealed that between 2014 and 2023, for every 100 tonnes of sand and gravel used in Britain, an average of 61 tonnes of new permissions were granted. And for crushed rock the figure is even lower, with only 33 tonnes of new material consented for every 100 tonnes consumed.
The MPA is now warning that this situation is not sustainable in the medium term, especially given the UK’s housebuilding and energy infrastructure ambitions.
Aurelie Delannoy, director of economic affairs at MPA, said, “Our new AMPS report is timely, published as the new government looks to reform the planning system with housing and infrastructure at the top of their agenda. MPA’s members are working hard to produce and deliver the essential mineral products needed to deliver the government’s ambitions. But unless there are significant reforms to streamline mineral planning and permitting, along with a change in the investment environment, these mineral reserves will not be fully replaced. That will not only impact the mineral products industry but also the UK construction industry and the wider economy.”
