Path is to close for tunnel work

Conveyor is set to be constructed

A FOOTPATH and bridleway will be closed for up to a month while works take place on constructing a tunnel for a sand and gravel conveyor.

The rights of way, S25 and S24, at Newbold Verdon will be out of bounds from June 20 for up to four weeks. Leicesteshire County Council highways department has agreed to the temporary measure.

The tunnel is being built under the bridleway to allow passage of a conveyor from Cadeby Quarry.

Operators Lafarge Tarmac were granted planning permission last August to expand the sand and gravel excavations north east of the existing quarry, south of Newbold Verdon and to the west of Brascote Lane.

The current quarry processing plant, stocking area and quarry lagoons are located to the south of Brascote Lane with the current extraction area south of Bosworth Road, connected to the quarry processing plant by a conveyor that passes under the road.

As part of the planning application, Lafarge Tarmac agreed to install a footbridge with hand rails and appropriate signing across the footpath S24 and create a short length of permissive path to link with the bridleway to the north for those who don’t want to use the footbridge.

The plans also involved digging a tunnel beneath bridleway S25, requiring a temporary short term closure.

The building materials company said once these proposed works were completed, continued use of the rights of way would be allowed throughout the extraction period.

Lafarge Tarmac are looking to take up to 420,000 tonnes of sand and gravel from the 12.02 hectare site.

The works and restoration to agricultural fields with woodland and ponds will take place over a two to three year period.

When applying for the extension the Solihullbased firm said without the extension sand and gravel workings at Cadeby would cease by December 2015.

The quarry has been operating for around 60 years and employs 10 people with 40 employed indirectly.

Leicestershire has five active sand and gravel quarries. At the point of application Newbold Verdon Parish Council asked if Lafarge Tarmac could extend the public footpath on Brascote Lane towards The Windmill pub as some kind of recompence, saying: “There will inevitably be some disruption to villagers from noise and dust...”

This agreed. extension was