Lincolnshire Sand & Gravel demand and availability

UPDATE Please note, all data provided by LCC is based on out of date demand information. A recent Minerals Product Association (MPA) article shows a significant decline in demand, “The third quarter (of 2023) saw notable declines in the sales of ready-mixed concrete and sand & gravel, with drops of 15.0% and 12.2%, respectively”. Please see the article here

The requirement for Sand and Gravel up to 2040 is set out in the “Lincolnshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan, Issues and options for updating the plan, June 2022” . Please see the link to the document below.

Updating of the Lincolnshire Minerals & Waste Local Plan

Issues & Options, June 2022

We have read this in detail and have pulled out the key points. When comparing to the forecasted demand there is a shortfall of sand and gravel in Lincolnshire of 22.90 million tonnes up to and including 2040. Please see the table below which has been taken from the Issues & Options Document. We believe this could be overstated owing to the reduction in demand as a result of the slow down in the housing market.

Table 2: Shortfall in sand and gravel provision for Lincolnshire 2021-2040.

Over the 20 years from 2021-2040 inclusive 2.18 million tonnes of sand and gravel are required by Lincolnshire each year, 20.70 mt has already been allocated to quarry sites, leaving a shortfall of 22.90 mt.

The cost of transporting high bulk, low value materials such as aggregate means that, in general, sand and gravel quarries normally only serve relatively local markets. Therefore, to serve the local markets Lincolnshire is split into three sections. This division of the county is based on the cost of transportation.

• Trent Valley

• Central Lincolnshire

• South Lincolnshire (includes West Deeping)

The table below has again been taken from the Issues & Options document and details the requirements, reserves and shortfalls by area.

Table 3: Shortfall in sand and gravel provision for each production area 2021-2040 (inclusive)

Please note, at the June 2024 Scrutiny Committee Meeting and Executive Committee Meeting the Planning Officers confirmed the shortfall has increased slightly to 11.00mt and that targets would no longer be split in to three production areas. We await further clarification regarding this.

Following on from the Issues & Options Document there was a call for sites to provide for the shortfall of sand & gravel. In late 2022 the “Updating of the Lincolnshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan” document was released for consultation to parish councils.

Again, we have read this document in detail and have pulled out the main points however please find below a link to the document.

Updating of the Lincolnshire Minerals & Waste Local Plan

Within this document the details of 19 potential sites are given.

• Trent Valley (6 sites)

• Central Lincolnshire (6 sites)

• South Lincolnshire  (7 sites)

The total sum of sand & gravel over all 19 sites is 66.53 mt. The shortfall up to 2040 is 10.30 mt therefore approx. 15% of the sand and gravel detailed in the Local Plan will be required.

While all of the above defines a very logical approach, it gives no consideration to the impact on communities. Houses, hospitals, schools, leisure centres etc must be built. But it is the council and the quarry company’s duty of care to consider the impact of their decisions.

So let’s debunk one myth … it’s too expensive to transport aggregates around a large county such as Lincolnshire. 

Breedon had a very healthy 2022 Breedon Annual Accounts 2022

• Revenue increased by 13% 

• Profit before tax increased by 19%

• In a year when fuel prices were incredibly high, Breedon’s margin before interest and tax grew by 30 bps to 11.1%. 

• The numbers are HUGE … Breedon’s revenue in the UK & Ireland is almost £1.4bn      

On the link below is a detailed map of the distribution of aggregates in Lincolnshire. These maps clearly show the vast Sand & Gravel reserves elsewhere in Lincolnshire, so why locate a quarry next to a village where it will have the most impact on health, historic buildings, ecology, water ways, quality of life and already busy highways? In areas where the local communities have already endured 70 years of quarrying on their door step? We would argue that there are many other options.

Mineral resource maps, Lincolnshire  South & North