Former quarry plan could see restoration

PLANS have been submitted to fill in and restore a former quarry to agricultural land.

The bid, lodged with Leicestershire County Council, would see some 76,600 plus tonnes of inert waste dumped into the old Barrow Hill Quarry, off Mill Lane, Earl Shilton.

The company behind the application, Earl Shilton Recycling Limited, say a local farmer will manage the site as part of his landholding once restored.

Permission is being sought for a three year period plus a further 12 months to complete the scheme which affects the northern part of the quarry only.

Of the two historic extraction areas the southern area is now flooded and this and a section to the east of the M69 is owned and used by the Earl Shilton Trials Club for trial bike riding.

A planning statement says: “The northern part of the quarry has historically been used for the disposal of non-putrescible waste under a number of historic waste disposal licences. “However, this part of the quarry has never been fully restored to a beneficial after-use and is currently a combination of exposed quarry faces, spoil mounds and naturally regenerating scrub and grassland vegetation.”

The northern part of the quarry was purchased by AT Contracting in 2015 and the applicant Earl Shilton Recycling Limited was incorporated in July 2016.

Along with the inert waste, to fully restore the void, some 37,300 tonnes of engineering material and around 48,600 tonnes of restoration soils are expected to be required.

Non-hazardous demolition, excavation and construction waste is proposed with up to 25 HGVs a day going to and from the site.

Access would be via the narrow track Mill Lane. Widening of the lane to provide passing places is suggested. Once restored, boundary hedgerows are planned, along with the installation of bird and bat boxes to encourage wildlife.

The matter will come before county planning councillors at a future date.