Councillors back quarry extension despite location concerns

A QUARRY is set to be extended to enable more sand and gravel to be extracted despite concerns about its location next to a school.

The proposed 29 hectare expansion to Newbold Quarry in Barton-under-Needwood is less than 200 metres from John Taylor Free School.

Sport England also objected to the extension application because it includes the removal of a strip of land in the most northern part of the site used by Burton Rugby Club as training pitches, a report to Staffordshire County Council’s planning committee said.

Eight residents also raised concerns over the Barton-under-Needwood site’s proximity to the school and nearby homes, as well as noise, dust and the impact on roads and footpaths.

Cllr Catherine Brown, who represents the Needwood Forest division, said in a letter read out at a planning committee meeting that she was “alarmed” at the application.

She added:

“Although the detail in this planning report includes mitigating actions for noise, barriers and buffer zones, these are just not suitable or enough in my humble opinion.

“Dust, noise, light pollution and the quarry working hours are major issues and cannot be underestimated. The effects on physical and mental health on the local communities are insurmountable.

“The parameter of the northern extension is too close to John Taylor Free School and its car parks and Burton Rugby Club. I would like to strongly request that the northern limit for the Newbold Quarry extension is Footpath 25, with a much wider and more suitable buffer zone.”

Committee members heard that the quarry has been in operation since the 1960s.

The most recent planning consent for the site, granted in 2022, requires the “working of mineral to cease no later than 31st December 2029 and the restoration of the site by 31st December 2031 – or within 24 months of the cessation of the working of mineral”.

The latest application sought permission to extend the quarry and extract approximately 2.8 million tonnes of sand and gravel over a two-and-a-half to three-year period, with a further two year period to restore the site.

Committee members voted to approve it, but following an objection from Sport England, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government must be consulted before permission can be granted.

Selena Gaskarth, who spoke in support of the application, told the committee the extension would enable the direct employment of 65 people to continue.

“Once extraction has ceased, the site would be restored to recreation and nature conservation by providing a central lake feature with additional tree, shrub and hedgerow planting, reflecting the site’s location within the National Forest.

“The site is allocated within the adopted Staffordshire Minerals Local Plan and local policy therefore supports mineral extraction from within the extension area. Given the relatively small deposit size and the high output rate, site operations would occur for a relatively short period of time.

“Disturbance to the local community would be minimised through the erection of an acoustic fence between the site and the nearest houses to reduce noise and the proposal will not result in any new or additional traffic movements on the local highway or through villages.

“Completion of restoration of the site would bring to an end more than 60 years of sand and gravel extraction at Newbold Quarry.”