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Minerals

Minerals are naturally occurring substances that are mined or quarried from the earth. The minerals most commonly used in Scotland are crushed rock, sand and gravel which provides essential construction material for new homes, buildings and transport infrastructure and coal which provides electricity to our homes and industries. Minerals are finite resources and the Scottish Government use planning policies to ensure that extraction takes place in a sustainable and environmentally acceptable manner.

Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 4: Planning for Minerals sets out national planning policies for all minerals other than opencast coal. It explains that:

• Sufficient supplies of minerals should be provided to meet the needs of Society
• The planning system should be used to steer development to sites where impacts on communities and the environment are acceptable
• Mineral resources should be safeguarded as far as possible
• Mineral consents are reviewed every 15 years to ensure that extraction is subjected to modern working standards

Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 16: Opencast Coal contains separate national planning policies that apply to opencast coal. This sets out similar considerations to other minerals although more explicit guidance is given on the issues that should be taken into account when determining whether a proposal is acceptable.

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