Quarrying will bring no benefits at all to this city

Dear Editor I write regarding the proposal by Paterson’s Quarries for a new access to Polmaise Road from Murrayshall Quarry, which once again raises the spectre of quarrying at Gillies Hill.

With all the issues that now require to be addressed socially and environmentally, Stirling Council must recognise the negative and catastrophic impact that the continuation of a working quarry using the city roads as a network for the transportation of aggregates will inevitably have.

Over 5000 residents signed petitions to the Scottish Government against the start-up of quarrying at Murrayshall as they recognise the adverse effect this will have on their community.

The present road network cannot, even with so-called mitigation proposals, accommodate such an extreme increase in HGVs making their way through sensitive parts of the city.

It is more than likely that the proposed routes were never intended to handle the current volume of transport let alone the addition of a massive volume of 20 to 30-ton trucks running continuously through the city for the next twenty years.

The roads involved have also had calming measures built in making them much less suitable for HGVs and also bringing them in closer proximity to pedestrians; a double whammy.

The resurrection of quarrying will see the destruction of a sizable part of the only substantial woodland around the city and a significant increase in CO2 emissions, noise and dust.

Additional lorries on the road will lead to health and safety issues for pupils attending Stirling High and St Ninians Primary, the residents along the proposed routes and the residents and visitors to the King’s Park. This will diminish their quality of life substantially.

I respectfully suggest that if this was a new application to quarry, the council would find it very easy to reject on the above grounds, road network unsuitable, environmental impact unacceptable, social impact unacceptable and the harmful impact on health and safety for those who live and or use the routes daily.

Quarrying brings no benefits at all to the city only negatives and other sites are plentiful throughout Scotland without the need for transportation of products through the city streets.

Stirling Council’s aims according to its policy statement is ‘working to create thriving, vibrant, sustainable communities which will improve everyone’s quality of life’.’ Let’s see.

Iain Munro Chair Save Gillies Hill