Villagers hoping for traffic calming
Quarry approaches end of its working life
Villagers who failed to halt plans to import waste into a nearby quarry may however get longed-for traffic-calming measures.
Cowiehall Quarry between Throsk and Cowie has been operated by Patersons of Greenoakhill for 29 years but is said to have just six to nine months’ working life left.
Part of the original permission was that the site would be restored to agricultural land once quarrying came to an end.
It was originally expected there would be enough infill material on the site to allow completion of the restoration.
However, Patersons now say there will be shortfall and their variation application to allow infill to be brought onto the site was unanimously approved by Stirling Council’s planning panel at a special hearing last Thursday.
Councillors, however, have asked that the permission involve “measures being installed for traffic calming through the village in consultation with the local authority”.
Patersons own the right to work the minerals but not the surface land itself, limiting their options for restoration of the site.
Patersons’ agent Kenneth Lindsay said: “The western part is closest to Cowie and this is where we have a shortfall. If we don’t bring these levels up it could be flooded and we have issues at the moment from kids from Cowie going into the quarry. Deep water at one end is not something we are prepared to leave as a legacy. I would think the landowner would be very reluctant to allow a water body [estimated at 12 metres deep] to remain so near Cowie.”
Mr Lindsay added that any import activity would begin at the end of the soil and gravel operations and there would therefore be a 30-50 per cent reduction in traffic.
He said the quarry was nearer other communities, that only some of their vehicles came through Throsk, not all heavy vehicles through the village belonged to them, that traffic calming measures should be the responsibility of the local authority and that in four years’/ time no Patersons’ lorries would be using that road.
But he added if a project came forward of benefit to the community they would consider supporting it.
Throsk Community Council chair Jimmy Morton, however, told the hearing the heavy vehicles going through the village to and from the quarry had caused “sand to go everywhere”, and that there were also concerns about exactly what materials were going to be used to fill in the quarry.
“They have a washing machine for their lorries and they don’t use it,” said Mr Morton.
The panel was told that only inert waste authorised and strictly monitored by SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) could be brought into the quarry, largely material such as crushed bricks and ceramics.
Patersons said while some of the vehicles bringing the infill would be their own, many would be third-party vehicles from contracted hauliers; however they would be asked to comply with the company’s transport rules.
Mr Lindsay said: “As and when we have been made aware of any issues we have dealt with it. It has been mainly issues about dust and we have our own road sweepers that go through Throsk. We take our good neighbourliness seriously and if complaints are received we do action them to ensure issues are resolved.”
Panel chair Cllr Alasdair Macpherson, also one of the ward councillors for the Throsk area, told the agent : “I have been in contact as a ward councillor in the past and in all fairness you have taken action, albeit the community council feel it’s inadequate.
“However, this quarry could have been a nice nature reserve. I hope the good neighbour agreement goes some way to alleviating concerns. Extraction is one thing but this application was unexpected and it would be best for the community to get something tangible from it.”
As and when we have been made aware of any issues we have dealt with it