Crunch meeting for quarry plans

HUGE objections to sand and gravel extraction in south Warwickshire gathered momentum this week as decision day on the issue looms ever closer.

Powerful and wide-ranging arguments against the proposals have been put forward in Salford Priors, where land owned by Warwickshire County Council has been earmarked by the council itself for mineral workings.

And residents in Barford and Wasperton are continuing to protest about similar plans in their locality while at the same time complaining that the county council has left them in the dark about what is going on.

The Herald discovered this week that the county council’s ruling cabinet will be considering responses to the first round of public consultations on the issue at a meeting on Thursday, 6th October.

Whatever is decided at that meeting will then be put forward for another round of consultations before a final document is produced.

This will be sent to the government and subjected to scrutiny by an independent assessor before it becomes set in concrete.

According to the council, it could be at least a year before the council’s final strategy for the extraction of sand and gravel comes into force.

But local residents are nevertheless becoming increasingly anxious about proposals that they argue will mar their lives and their environments for the next 20 years or so.

Campaigners in Salford Priors, in particular, have examined the whole issue with a fine toothcomb and have recruited technical experts to reinforce their opposition to the sand and gravel proposals.

In a letter written by the protest group Salford Priors Against Gravel Extraction (SPAGE) — and being sent to the senior county council official handling the issue — concern is voiced that the mineral plan will remain in place for at least the next 15 years, with the risk of operations running well beyond 2032.

The letter states: “This potential for the longevity of this proposal puts it into a different framework and perspective of simply objecting to future planning applications which may arise in the future.

“This is a decision which will affect the future viability of Salford Priors as a good place to live for all of our future generations with a great deal at risk if this proposal is adopted into the County Mineral Plan.

“It will become a long term danger to the residents of Salford Priors with the threat of potential planning applications in the future hanging over the village, and inhibiting the future progress and development of the village as a thriving community.

“Naturally, we are anxious to avoid this situation and seek to convince you that this proposal is not a sound or viable option for the county and should be removed from the list of preferred sites within the County Mineral Plan.”

A Barford resident, who did not wish to be named, expressed shock that the matter was being discussed at a cabinet meeting in October.

The resident said: “The deadline for objections was 4th January and here we are, in late August, nearly eight months later, and the local community have been given no further information, there is nothing on the website and now we hear the council are making decisions.

“Surely this is not an open and fair process and why haven’t residents been made aware?”