Quarrying materials to be kept on fields

QUARRYING materials will be dumped on farmland in the Mendips to allow a nearby quarry to continue extracting limestone.

Aggregate Industries operates the quarry at Torr Works between Frome and Shepton Mallet.

The company has applied to store limestone scalpings smaller chips of stone often used to build road surfaces, patios or driveways - on agricultural land west of Tunscombe Lane at the quarry’s northern tip.

Somerset County Council has given these plans the go-ahead, arguing they will ensure the remaining limestone in the quarry can be properly removed.

Local residents spoke out against the plans at a meeting of the council’s regulation committee in Taunton on Thursday.

Michael Thompson said it was foolish to make a decision without taking plans to reopen the neighbouring Westdown Quarry into account.

He said: “These projects will endanger Asham Wood, a site of special scientific interest. A 1.3 million-tonne pile of scalpings, with numerous lorry movements, will not enhance the natural environment.

“Asham Quarry is now a re-wilded ecosystem.

“Doing this would remove key habitats.

“If the two projects were to run concurrently, there would be immense activity on either side of Asham Wood - essentially a pincer movement on ecology.”

Chris Herbert, representing Aggregate Industries, argued that leaving the scalpings in their current location (on the quarry floor) would prevent valuable reserves from being extracted, which could impact on both the local and national construction industries.

He said: “If the scalpings remain where they are currently, millions of tonnes of rock will be sterilised, limiting Somerset’s ability to meet demand.”

Around one millions tonnes of scalpings are produced by the quarry ever year, with the proposed pile on the farmland expected to reach a maximum height of 19 metres.

Cllr Philip Ham, whose Mendip Central and East division includes the site, said: “These scalpings when washed are a very saleable product, but only so much can be processed per year.

“I believe this is the best way forward to prevent waste and protect jobs.”

Cllr John Clarke (Frome West), however, argued that the environmental damage to the surrounding land outweighed any economic benefits.

The committee voted to approve the plans by six votes to one.