Today almost all new development in England is constructed either wholly or partly from the products of mineral extraction. Because current and future extraction has the capacity to have significant effects on the environment, both positive and negative, today's minerals industry is highly regulated by planning policy and law.
The legacy of past quarrying and mining can form an important part of the historic environment, and authentic materials are needed for conservation work, for repairs to historic buildings and for maintaining local distinctiveness with new construction. Modern society has literally been built on and out of minerals.
Minerals
A mineral is a natural substance, characterised by its distinctive composition, atomic structure and physical and chemical properties. In an economic context, a mineral is any solid or fluid substance that can be extracted from the earth for profit.
Minerals are all around us in the historic and natural environment, whether on or below the ground or in marine and other submerged contexts. From the stone in Stonehenge to the iron in Ironbridge, the extraction of minerals in prehistory through to the modern era is a story of remarkable human endeavour and ingenuity in sometimes extreme and hazardous environments. Some of our most remarkable and characteristic landscapes have been formed by millennia of mining and quarrying activity and the continued supply of some minerals is fundamental to the upkeep of our locally distinctive built heritage.
Nevertheless, the scale and technical proficiency of the modern extractive industries means that they can have a profound effect on what we value most about the historic environment. About 0.35% of the area of the UK has planning permission for minerals development, including extraction sites, processing plants, minerals waste tips and landscaping schemes. Of this, around 0.12% is specifically associated with aggregates production.
The legacy of past extraction
Past mining and quarrying activity has created a widespread and, in some areas (especially the uplands), a fundamental social, economic and environmental legacy. Its physical remains therefore form a significant part of today’s historic environment.
Every generation has placed its own values on this legacy with attitude changing radically over time and continuing to change. What were initially perceived as derelict structures and land may eventually become highly valued as historic remains, particularly as the pool of surviving examples declines over time.
In recent years our understanding of historic mining and quarrying sites, landscapes and their associated infrastructure has developed rapidly, as part of the growing interest in the archaeology of industry. The contribution of voluntary-sector special-interest groups has been an important factor in this development. Frequently these groups have developed as a response to community associations with the mining and quarrying industries that have developed over many generations and become imbued with a strong sense of local identity and heritage.
As the Government’s adviser on the historic environment and as a statutory consultee to local planning authorities and mineral planning authorities, English Heritage provides advice on the significance, designation and management of historic remains relating to the minerals industry.
Impacts and mitigation
Where there have been unavoidable impacts on archaeological remains and the historic environment resulting from extraction, the minerals industry has a long history of responsible environmental management and enabling and supporting mitigation measures.
Archaeological survey and excavation on extraction sites has made a fundamental contribution towards revolutionising our understanding of the pre-industrial and industrial past. More effective approaches to the investigation of historic sites and landscapes are continuously being developed. Dialogue between heritage professionals, mineral planners and the minerals industry is needed to ensure mitigation meets appropriate standards, as well as the test of ‘reasonableness’ required by the planning process. It is also important that developer-funded investigations have clearly defined objectives and are carried out within the context of national and regional historic environment research frameworks.
Jointly developed strategic approaches to understanding the significance and distribution of historic sites and landscapes will be the most effective means of identifying significant sites as early as possible in the planning process, leading to enhanced protection and the facilitation of the most cost-effective deployment of resources by the industry.
Minerals and conservation
England has been a major producer and consumer of building and roofing stone for at least 2,000 years. The diversity of local stone sources, often coupled with local masons employing their own styles, has made a fundamental contribution to England's highly variable and locally distinctive built heritage over many centuries. The use of local materials for building is recognised, particularly in rural areas, as the most effective means for achieving a visual harmony with the characteristics of the local geology and environment, and for maintaining local and regional distinctiveness.
Certain stones have traditionally been exported within England for prestigious building work (for example Portland and Burlington), and there is a need to maintain their production if the requisite materials and skills are to be sustained. These factors have led to an increase in the demand for building stone, and a growing recognition and appreciation of the value of England’s stone resources.
Government’s national planning policy on the safeguarding and supply of stone is set out in Annex 3: Natural Building and Roofing Stone Provision in England, of Minerals Policy Statement 1: Planning and Minerals.
