A Waste Local Plan is required to set out a strategy for future waste management and planning in East Sussex and Brighton & Hove (the plan area) and encourage a shift away from disposal to land towards more sustainable methods of treatment. The Waste Local Plan is a land-use plan designed to promote the minimisation and re-use of waste where it is appropriate to land-use considerations, and support new facilities to enable recycling, composting and energy recovery from waste to be maximised.

The Waste Local Plan forms part of the Development Plan for East Sussex and Brighton & Hove, and is used to assess planning applications for new waste development.

The current Development Plan comprises:

Regional Planning Guidance 9 (RPG) is the strategic vision for planning in the South East Region. The section on minerals and waste planning has recently been updated, and is presented in the draft South East Plan. Ultimately RPG9 will be replaced by the South East Plan when that is approved by the Government.

The East Sussex and Brighton & Hove Structure Plan sets out the strategic planning framework for development and conservation in East Sussex and Brighton & Hove. Its policies cover a range of topics including housing, employment and transport, as well as strategic matters for waste and minerals. The plan was adopted by the two Councils in December 1999.  With the introduction 2004 Planning Act, the East Sussex and Brighton and Hove Structure Plan 1991-2011 has been "saved" for three years during the production of a full RSS.

Adopted District-wide Local Plans - these plans have been prepared by District and Borough Councils and also by Brighton & Hove City Council for Brighton & Hove. They provide detailed policies on all topics except minerals and waste. Under the 2004 Act, District and Borough Councils are required to begin development of Local Development Frameworks to replace Local Plans when they have been completed. These framework documents will provide a spatial strategy for each local area. They will provide greater integration with other development documents and will require updating more frequently.

Minerals Local Plan - this plan, prepared by the County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council, develops minerals policies in more detail. It covers East Sussex and Brighton & Hove. The plan was adopted by both councils in November 1999. Under the 2004 Act The Minerals Local Plan also holds "saved" status for three years or until it is replaced by publication of the Minerals Development Plan Document which is currently being prepared.

Waste Local Plan - this plan sets out a planning policy framework for managing household waste produced in East Sussex and Brighton & Hove. It will be used to assess planning applications for waste facilities. 

Applications for planning permission are judged against policies in the Development Plan outlined above, and decisions should be made in accordance with those policies, unless there are material considerations.

The County Council is responsible for making decisions on planning applications relating to minerals and waste and it's own development. The District and Borough Councils are responsible for making decisions on most other planning applications in East Sussex. Brighton & Hove City Council is responsible for making decisions on all types of planning applications in its area.

More detailed information on the plan, its purpose and its status are contained in Chapter 1 of the Proposed Modifications To The Waste Local Plan.

All households, businesses and industries in East Sussex and Brighton & Hove produce waste and the majority is currently disposed to land. However, the extent of this existing reliance on disposal to land is no longer an option for the future. Current practice needs to change to avoid the loss of valuable resources in the waste and reduce the risk of long-term pollution to the land. These issues are particularly urgent in East Sussex and Brighton & Hove as the two major landfill sites at Beddingham, near Lewes, and Pebsham, Bexhill, which take most of the waste from East Sussex and Brighton & Hove, are due to become full by around 2008. This emphasises the need for the Waste Local Plan, which we believe will play a part in the building of a more sustainable future for the communities and encourage greater reduction of waste, re-use of waste materials and recycling in the plan area.