Council 'helpless' in 24-hour quarry case (From Gazette Series)

Council 'helpless' in 24-hour quarry case

A QUARRY wanting to increase production so it runs round the clock may get its application granted because South Gloucestershire Council has failed to monitor its activities for more than ten years.

Wickwar Quarry, operated by Cemex, has applied to South Gloucestershire Council to extend its coating plant operations, production of ready mix concrete and its block-making plant operations to 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The quarry, on the B4409 between Wickwar and Charfield, also wants to increase its production limits from 400,000 tonnes to 750,000 tonnes per year and its lorry movements from 84 loads a day to 130.

In a consultation letter to local parish councils South Gloucestershire Council said that because quarry bosses had breached current restrictions for more than ten years the company was "immune from enforcement action".

The authority has already admitted that the recent application was likely to be successful.

The application has sparked opposition from neighbouring parish councils - Charfield, Wickwar and Cromhall - but local councillors have told the Gazette this week they feel helpless to protect their communities.

Cllr John Sidgwick, chairman of Cromhall Parish Council, said: "We agreed to it because it has been going on like that for donkey's years any way.

"I think the quarry is lucky to get away with it but it is a big employee locally. To object I think would be an uphill struggle."

Cllr John Acton, vice-chairman of Charfield Parish Council, said: "It has been breaching conditions anyway. This is really just an application to verify the conditions.

"What we need to do is come to some agreement that Cemex will carry out highway improvements particularly at Tafarn Bach."

Howard Gawler, South Gloucestershire councillor for Ladden Brook which includes Wickwar, said the situation was unacceptable.

He said: "The quarry claims it has been happening for quite a number of years but they would have to prove this.

"It is not acceptable to increase the number of lorries and I certainly don't think it should be run on a Sunday.

"Certainly the people who look at extraction in the council should have noticed this. I am a bit disappointed. I can't imagine they've turned a blind eye but how this has happened I don't know."

Matthew Rees, spokesman for South Gloucestershire Council, said: "The quarry operations have been carried out at Wickwar for many years without any complaints being made to the council.

"The comments from the parish council seem to have been made following a consultation letter sent by the council seeking the views of the parish on proposals by the quarry to alter conditions controlling how the site is operated. Until this letter was sent out, no issues of concern had been raised by the parish or local residents in recent years.

"All waste and minerals sites in South Gloucestershire are subject to monitoring and where issues of concern or breaches of permissions are brought to the attention of the council, they are promptly investigated."

Ian Southcott, UK community affairs manager for Cemex, said: "Technically yes we have been in breach of working hours and lorry routing but I say technically because a major quarry has closed and because of that the amount of traffic and amount of production has declined.

"We are continually in discussion with the local community to help and support them as best we can."