Controversial plans for 71 acre quarry in rural Northumberland given green light
by James Robinson · ChronicleLiveProposals that will see 2.8 million tonnes of material extracted from the Northumberland countryside have been given the go-ahead.
The controversial plans, brought forward by Newcastle-based firm North East Concrete, will see dolerite quarried from a 70.9 acre site near Kirkwhelpington in Northumberland. The stone is used in the production of concrete as well as in paving stones.
The material will be extracted in four phases over the next 20 years, before the site is infilled with 800,000 cubic metres of imported inert material, returning the land to existing ground levels. The quarry will create 20 long-term jobs but has received stiff opposition from local residents.
Northumberland County Council received 175 letters of objection to the plans, while Kirkwhelpington-born actor and former Strictly Come Dancing star Greg Wise also threw his weight behind the campaign to stop the quarry. However, council planners recommended the plans for approval ahead of a meeting of the local authority's strategic planning committee on Tuesday.
Officers told the committee that the site was "relatively isolated" from nearby properties, with the nearest home 188 metres away. Furthermore, the initial proposals were for the extraction of four million tonnes of material over 25 years - marking a "significant reduction".
Councillors were also told that the harm done by the quarry was classed as "minimal" and the benefits around jobs and the economy outweighed this harm.
Speaking at the meeting, objector Philip Lawless argued: "We are concerned about the noise and dust from blasting, rock crashing and 92 vehicle movements per day. We are also concerned about the waste material used for backfill.
"This will be the destruction of our environment which will never be repaired by an uneconomic development. The applicant has tried to paint a picture of a rural wasteland."
Coun Richard Dodd raised concerns about the impact on the wider highways network.
He said: "The reason people have objected is there are issues at Belsay with traffic at certain times. Ponteland is used as a bit of a crossroads too.
"It's not going to be the be-all-and-end-all, but when do you stop putting straws on the camel's back?"
But Coun Alex Wallace disagreed, pointing out other roads suffered far worse HGV traffic.
He said: "I understand where my colleagues are coming from. However, I will be supporting this application.
"We have given planning permission for a wind farm grid connection near Cambois. A road next to that was a C-road with 2,000 HGVs going along it every day.
"That is what I call severe, not 46 HGVs. We have given planning permission for Britishvolt, the datacentre, JDR cables and now another development on a C-class road. I'm not convinced with the severity of the number of HGVs."
Coun Barry Flux added: "In the grand scheme of things, it is all about balance and I think what I have read in the report points the balance towards approval. It's as simple as that."
The plans were approved by eight votes to two, with one abstention.
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