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Class L: Removing a mineral stockpile
Part 17 Class L permits the removal of material from a stockpile. Paragraph N gives “stockpile” a specific meaning: a mineral-working deposit consisting primarily of minerals stored for processing or sale.
A heap of unrelated waste or spoil is not necessarily a statutory stockpile. Establish the deposit’s character before relying on this short provision.
England only. For other jurisdictions, see the Welsh GPDO or local legislation.
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The legal test
Class L contains a concise grant for removal of material of any description from a qualifying stockpile. There is no separate Class L notice or prior approval procedure in the class itself. The apparent simplicity should not lead to applying it to every heap: first establish that Paragraph N’s mineral-working stockpile definition is met, then check the GPDO’s general restrictions and any other relevant legal controls.
If the deposit is not a stockpile, Class M may be the relevant route, with its own notice, area or age test, and potential restoration scheme.
Relevant legislation
Read the current GPDO Schedule 2 Part 17 text together with the general limits in Article 3. The statutory extract below provides the detailed class wording; check the consolidated text for any later changes.
Class L: Removing a mineral stockpile statutory wording
Class L – removal of material from a stockpile
Permitted development
L. The removal of material of any description from a stockpile.
Page created: 16th August 2023
Page updated: 24th September 2026