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National Park Boundary Change

A review of the Dartmoor National Park boundary was undertaken in the late 1980s, culminating in 1990 with the publication, by the Countryside Commission, of a Boundary Variation Order. That Order was the subject of a public inquiry in 1993, already referred to above. At the inquiry, the china clay companies argued that all the areas covered by the main planning permissions should be excluded from the National Park on the basis that the landscape is, or was potentially, no longer of National Park quality. However, others argued that the whole of the china clay area should be inside the National Park for four reasons:

kaolin and the china clay industry are part of the ‘granite culture’ of Dartmoor; there are significant areas of moorland and common land within the areas covered by the planning permissions and these are subject to rights under the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985; the appropriate management of undamaged areas would be more effectively achieved if they were within the National Park; control of the entire china clay area by one Planning Authority, operating strong national and local policies, would achieve the best possible development pattern and the optimum restoration. The National Park Authority took the view that the decision had to be based on the statutory criteria for designation and therefore argued that areas currently of National Park quality should be within the National Park even if there are valid planning permissions covering those areas.

The Inspector dealing with the inquiry recommended that the clay companies arguments be supported. However, his recommendation was not accepted by the Secretary of State who supported the case argued by the National Park Authority. The new boundary, which came into effect on 14 April 1994, excluded all the operational areas from the National Park, but included areas X, Y and Z on the basis that they were still of National Park quality.

Review of Old Mineral Permissions (ROMPS)

Under the terms of the Environment Act 1995, both Watts Blake Bearne and Imerys submitted applications for new working conditions just before the statutory deadline, in October 1998.

Watts Blake Bearne proposed:

to open up a new pit in the lower Blackabrook valley (Area X). It did not anticipate that it would need to work the minerals in this area for the next 10 years (from the date of the submission), but it did reserve the right to do so beforehand after giving the Mineral Planning Authority 12 months written notice stating its intention of working the area. At the same time it would submit a scheme of working; to utilise Shaugh Moor (Area Y) for waste disposal. It would have honoured the informal agreement dating from 1978, which envisaged no tipping until 2008 and anticipated that its commitment would extend beyond that date. It did, however, reserve the right to make known its intentions of occupying Area Y by giving the Mineral Planning Authority 12 months prior notice, while at the same time submitting a tipping scheme. (The informal commitment in 1978 was that it would give four years notice of its intentions, except in an emergency.)