CPRE Notts Objects to Barton in Fabis Quarry

Here is a copy of our comments:

Proposal: The extraction and processing of sand and gravel, including the construction of a new site access road, landscaping and screening bunds. Mineral washing plant and other associated infrastructure with restoration to agriculture and nature conservation areas.

Location: Land off Green Street, Mill Hill and land at Barton Fabis, off Chestnut Lane.

Applicant: London Rock Supplies Limited

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) Nottinghamshire recognises that there is a longer term need for mineral extraction in our county. However, we are of the strong opinion that sites for mineral extraction need to be selected in a carefully planned manner to minimise damage and disruption to the countryside.

It also needs to be recognised both by local authorities, the industry and others that the impact of millions of tonnes of aggregates (sand, gravel and rock) every year on the countryside and local communities can be enormous, both during the operation and afterwards. There is a need to reduce the level of extraction in future by making better use of mineral resources and developing alternatives. Quarrying can have a devastating impact on the countryside. Noise, dust and heavy lorry traffic are characteristic during mining operations and too often landscapes are left scarred by extraction. Even when restoration is mandatory and then undertaken, it is seldom – if ever – able to recreate the character of the countryside which was developed over centuries.

I am writing on behalf of CPRE Nottinghamshire to object to this proposal on the following grounds:

1. The County does not have an up to date Minerals Plan. Earlier this year the County Council withdrew its proposed Minerals Plan from consideration by the Planning Inspectorate. A proposal for a quarry at Barton in Fabis had already been withdrawn from the draft Plan (for good reasons i.e its environmental impact). Whilst we recognise that different local communities within the county may take varying views about where best to quarry, it is surely not right to consider an individual site before taking a co-ordinated approach to planning where best to extract minerals and subjecting that approach to full consultation.
2. We cannot see that there is any overriding reason to consider this proposal favourably at this stage. We believe that this proposal pre-empts or attempts to circumvent the process of putting into place a considered Local Minerals Plan. There is no current requirement for additional quarry sites and the inevitably adverse environmental impact of this proposal. The County Council has itself stated that the current ‘landbank’ for sand and gravel exceeds government targets.
3. Quarrying on this site would significantly impact on two Sites of Special Scientific Interest - Attenborough Nature Reserve and Holme Pit which are close -by and on five Sites of Important Nature Conservation one of which would be destroyed altogether.
4. We share the concerns expressed by the Ramblers about three rights of way passing through countryside between Barton in Fabis and Clifton. There would be a major impact on the quality of life and visual amenity of local people, as well as the loss of peace and tranquillity in an area used extensively by a wider community for walking, fishing, horse riding, bird watching and other leisure pursuits. The loss of a significant area of countryside on the edge of a large city such as Nottingham damages the recreational opportunities that are increasingly important for the health and well-being of city dwellers. The County Council’s own assessment of the sustainability and environmental impact of this site resulted in its rejection and exclusion from the previous draft Minerals Local Plan.
5. The site is close to populated areas which would be impacted by noise and dust.
6. The restoration plans are not to restore the land to its current state, but to marshland and standing water. Even this is likely to take 10 years to establish, meaning that the area will be unusable for up to 25 years.

Frederick Cook

Chair CPRE Nottinghamshire