Quarry granted licence to carry on until 2078
COMPANY SAYS IT WILL TAKE ANOTHER 55 YEARS TO FINISH EXTRACTION WORK
A QUARRY on the border of Derbyshire and Leicestershire has been given approval to continue its work into the latter part of the century.
The company, which runs Breedon Quarry, near Breedon on the Hill, says it will take 55 years to remove the 25 million tonnes of limestone and gravel material remaining at the site.
County councillors voted to extend the time the quarry is allowed to operate from 2042 to 2078, allowing Breedon Group plc to work at the site for an extra 36 years.
Quarrying has taken place at Breedon since before planning laws were introduced.
Planning permission was first given for the quarry in 1947, and a number of applications have been made over the years, including to extend the quarry’s work to the east.
Only two representations were made by the public as part of a consultation on the extension: one concerning views of Breedon Church as a result of the quarry’s planting scheme; and the other highlighting concerns about noise and dust, among other issues.
At a meeting of Leicestershire County Council’s development control and regulatory board, Katie Ferguson, from the authority’s planning team, said: “The working methods are not proposed to alter at Breedon Quarry, and therefore it is considered these details can be suitably controlled by existing planning conditions.”
Once the quarry is exhausted, the site, which spans more than 70 hectares, will be restored using original soil removed during the quarrying process, creating an area of what is described as “agricultural grassland and native woodland” around a “central body of water”.
Councillor Dan Harrison said: “I’m really impressed that they’re going to retain the soil on-site, because it belongs there.
“I’d imagine it’s going to save hun dreds and hundreds of lorries bringing soil back to the site.”
Ms Ferguson confirmed the site would be subject to a phased restoration, with work beginning to restore areas that are no longer active as the quarry operations move into the eastern extension.
Councillors raised concerns over potential dust levels, but Ms Ferguson explained the system of dust monitoring, which uses gauges, with the results sent to the council. It can take action if levels are too high.
She also confirmed the gauges would be moved to different locations in the quarry, depending on where work was taking place.
The application to extend the life of the quarry was considered at the same time as another application, known as a Review of Old Mineral Permissions (ROMP), with councillors voting to permit both.
Ms Ferguson said of the ROMP: “It is about updating conditions attached to an existing planning permission to ensure that they meet modern standards.”