COR26008 Minerals and Waste Plan - Preliminary Market Engagement

Please note: THIS IS NOT A CALL FOR COMPETITION Background Under recent changes to planning legislation, Worcestershire County Council (WCC) has a responsibility to prepare a Minerals and Waste Plan. We are currently considering how to prioritise the use of internal and external resources to achieve challenging timescales for plan preparation and we may seek to procure professional services to support this.

Existing plans The Waste Core Strategy was adopted in 2012 and is likely to need a comprehensive update. Officers have started work on the evidence base and WCC consulted on an early draft of the Waste Needs Assessment in Spring 2026 to inform this process.

The extant Waste Core Strategy does not contain site allocations. The Minerals Local Plan was adopted in July 2022.

Officers anticipate that much of the strategic direction may remain, however changes will be required to reflect any changes in national and local policy since the plan was adopted. The extant Minerals Local Plan designated “areas of search” but no “specific site” or “preferred area” allocations.

Commencing plan preparation under the new system Due to the different ages of the Waste Core Strategy and Minerals Local Plan, different dates apply by which a “notice of intention to commence minerals and waste plan document preparation” under Regulation 44 must be given, and by which Gateway 1 “self-assessment of readiness for minerals and waste plan document preparation” must be published under Regulation 46 to formally commence the 30-month plan preparation timescale: • For waste: o Notice of intention to commence must be given by 31st December 2026 at the latest, o Self-assessment summary (Gateway 1) published by 30th April 2027 at the latest. • For minerals: o Notice of intention to commence must be given by 14th March 2027 at the latest, o Self-assessment summary (Gateway 1) published by 14th July 2027 at the latest. WCC has not yet determined whether the first Minerals and Waste Plan under the 2026 plan-making regulations will be produced as: - a Minerals and Waste Plan as a single document; or - a Waste Plan Document (with a Minerals Plan Document to follow); or - a Minerals Plan Document (with a Waste Plan Document to follow); or - separate Minerals Plan and Waste Plan Documents produced concurrently.

The choice of plan option is a political decision that will be made in due course. However, timescales under the new plan-making system mean that, whichever option is progressed, preparatory work, including procuring contracts for statutory assessments or other packages of work, is needed in advance.

We are aware that a large number of Planning Authorities may be commencing plan preparation to very similar timescales, and we are therefore seeking input from potential providers to inform development of any tender packages. All responses will be treated as confidential and not shared with other organisations, however, the final specification and tender model may be influenced by this and other stakeholders. Please note that the values and term are estimative and can be higher or lower depending on the results of this market engagement exercise.