Mineral Reserves and Waste Disposal Site Location

Due to the nature of landfill and land raising operations, waste disposal sites may be suitably located within a hard rock quarry or where the impact of the operations will not have a detrimental effect on residential amenity or the environment. It is important that Waste Disposal Projects do not sterilise mineral reserves considered to be of particular value to the economy. The Planning Strategy for Rural Northern Ireland recognises the general risk of reserve sterilisation and contains specific Regional Planning Policies MIN4 (Valuable Minerals) and MIN5 (Mineral Reserves). In addition to the environmental benefit provided by the restoration of an active or worked out hard rock quarry, in other locations, an applicant may seek to demonstrate that the productive re use of despoiled, derelict or contaminated land should be taken into account.