Quarry expansion plans near Leighton Buzzard could offer water sports potential
Two Leighton Buzzard parishes dating back 1,000 years are battling to preserve their way of life against “a foreign mining giant’s multi-million pound expansion plans”, a councillor has warned.
Aggregate Industries UK Ltd wants to expand its operations to the south of Grovebury Quarry lake, citing a national need for silica sand. Its proposals would postpone any recreational use of the site for at least another decade.
But the company’s application could be improved for local residents and the surrounding area by having access to water sports, Conservative Central Bedfordshire Eaton Bray councillor, Philip Spicer, suggested in a social media post.
He wants people to object to latest proposals for the Grovebury Road site “on the grounds it doesn’t offer the residents of Billington peace and quiet in their gardens” or the local communities “an opportunity to have water sports”.
Mineral excavation firm Aggregate Industries is owned by the Switzerland-based Holcim Group, and has been working on the quarry land for more than 100 years, he explained. “We know there’s a lack of outdoor water sports areas in south Bedfordshire.
“This is an ideal opportunity for a quarry to maintain its commercial viability when working, while also offering recreational opportunities in common with other European quarries.
“Those activities could include wild swimming, sailing, beach sports, canoeing and fishing. However, a planning application submitted to Central Bedfordshire Council asks for the quarry site to be expanded by a massive 50 per cent.
“That would take it to within 150 metres of some residents’ gardens, with no offer to move it back 250 metres or to compensate the residents.
“The communities of Great Billington and Little Billington, Bedfordshire hamlets with half-timber thatch cottages and a former medieval chapel, face disruption and associated noise from a dredger and earth moving vehicles for the foreseeable future, if the firm is granted planning permission,” he added.
The works include importing inert restoration materials, a minerals processing plant, aggregate and soil recycling operations, treatment and processing, and changes to its currently approved restoration scheme.
A processing plant, a stockpiling area, site offices and car park would be retained. The site is run by the company under its industrial sands business, Garside Sands, according to Heatons planning, environment and design consultancy.
“Under a July 2022 planning permission, site operations were extended until July 2026 and the permitted volume of imported soils was increased,” said Heatons in a planning statement.
“It’s proposed to extend the quarry south to release an extra 3.33m tonnes at an annual rate between 265,000 tonnes and 350,000 tonnes. This would give the extension an operational life of between nine and 14 years.
“A further six years will be required for restoration, once all the mineral is extracted. It’s anticipated that 100,000 tonnes per annum of the material would be imported.
“The company produces around 6.5m tonnes of asphalt and 3m cubic metres of concrete annually. Industrial sands are extracted from the quarry by means of dredging. Access would remain off an A4146 roundabout.”
Details of the application are available via CBC’s website planning portal.
CBC’s development management committee is expected to consider the project in due course.