17th August 2006 - Tarmac submits plan for new quarry at Broom
Having completed extensive consultation with the local community, Tarmac has today submitted a planning application for a new quarry south of Broom in Bedfordshire.
The proposed new quarry would be a direct replacement for the existing Broom Quarry, which has been operating since 1997 and is due to cease production in 2010, with restoration to be completed shortly afterwards.
The proposed new quarry site is being promoted as a 'preferred site' for mineral extraction within Bedfordshire County Council's Mineral Development Framework, as part of its requirement to maintain the Government's target for sufficient mineral reserves to support the future needs of the local construction industry.
Simon Chaffe, senior estates surveyor at Tarmac, said:
"We already know the Broom area well and local people are aware of the responsible approach we take to managing our activities - ensuring local people are safe and minimising any environmental impact.
“It is important that local mineral reserves are maintained to enable building work to go ahead in the future and as the existing quarry is expected to close in 2010, when reserves are exhausted, we need to plan ahead to make sure we can start operating a new site at that time."
The proposed new quarry site covers a total area of 175 hectares (approximately 432 acres), with a mineral extraction area of 113 hectares (approximately 279 acres). It is proposed that between 400,000 and 450,000 tonnes a year of sand and gravel would be extracted from the site, this continuing for about 12 years.
As part of the detailed preparatory work that has been carried out over the past two years, Tarmac has recently completed an ecological study of the proposed site to identify any areas that might require environmental protection. As a result, the proposal includes plans to conserve the wooded copses in the area, which provide a habitat for local wildlife and also to restore the site by creating an area of wetlands, lakes and meadow, to enrich local biodiversity.
Simon Chaffe concludes:
"Great care and attention has been taken to ensure that the restoration plans for the new quarry site are sensitive to the local environment and sympathetic to the after-use requirements of the site."
For more information about the planning application please write to the Estates Department, Tarmac Limited, Colchester Quarry, Warren Lane, Stanway, Colchester, Essex CO4 3GG.
