The UK aggregates industry continues to be unable to replenish its output with new reserves, with eight out of ten planning regions failed to replace reserves extracted during 2012, says industry marketing consultancy,
This is despite markets continuing at historically low levels during the year, and BDS estimates that last year only in Scotland and the south-west England were aggregates companies able to fully replenish reserves.
Nationally, BDS estimates that just 70% of sand and gravel production was replaced with new consents. This is a similar rate to the previous year and continues the trend which has occurred over many years.
The national picture looks better in crushed rock. However, this is solely due to one major consent in the south-west. If this one scheme is excluded, then BDS calculates that crushed rock producers were able to replace just one in every three tonnes extracted in 2012. The situation was particularly acute in the largest crushed rock producing region, the east midlands, which saw no major consents during 2012.
In the industry as a whole, BDS has identified no other consents granted during 2012 for proposals that involved more than an additional 5 million tonnes of reserves.
Over the previous 15 years, BDS believes that only in 2006 has the quarrying industry more than replenished the reserves taken out during the year. In one other year, new consents granted were similar to production. However, in the other 13 years, the consultancy estimates that consented reserves failed to match production.
“The position looks no better for 2013. Applications submitted last year for new crushed rock reserves amounted to just 20 million tonnes. This equates to less than three months’ production. The position looks better in sand and gravel, although the figures are boosted by one large outstanding application in the midlands,” said the principal consultant for BDS, Julian Clapp.
This analysis has been prepared by BDS Marketing Research which has monitored planning applications and consents for new minerals since the consultancy first started in 1989. A monthly BDS report lists planning applications and consents for all new minerals including aggregates, coal and other minerals, and asphalt plants, which is available on an annual subscription. The company also maintains a database of all pits and quarries. This includes details of planning decisions, together with estimates of the outputs and reserves for each pit and quarry in the country.
