Councillors are set to decide whether to allow a quarry site in Barton-under-Needwood to continue to operate around the clock.
A 12-month trial period was launched in March last year at the Newbold Quarry’s concrete products factory.
But now an application to Staffordshire County Council is seeking to make the arrangement – which allows the site to operate 24 hours a day – permanent.
A report to a meeting of the authority’s planning committee said:
“Previously, the applicant explained that an increase in demand for concrete products in the local market has led to a need for the factory to both maximise its productivity and increase its efficiency.
“The permitted working hours for the factory limited the level of productivity and the downtime at weekends affected the site’s efficiency as plant and machinery within the factory had to be shut down on Saturdays and then re-started on Mondays.
“During the trial period, the factory operated on a 24/7 basis and was able to create a fourth shift which employed an additional seven staff. If permission is granted for the factory to continue to operate 24 hours, seven days per week, this shift would be retained and would provide employment for the seven additional staff.
“The applicant contends that the noise monitoring results during the trial period have shown that the site can operate without generating a significant level of noise and furthermore no complaints were made by local residents.”
Planning report
The proposals will be discussed at the meeting of Staffordshire County Council’s planning committee tomorrow (6th April).
