Welcome to Quarryville

The Quarryville Rock Quarry has been operating for six years – quite a short time for a quarry. When it was first announced that Tarmac, the company that owns and operates the quarry was planning to start the quarry, there was quite a bit of local opposition.

Now relations between Tarmac and the local community are excellent and everybody’s convinced the rock quarry is good news for Quarryville.

What do you think happened to change people’s minds?

Here are some of the bad things local residents thought might happen back in 1996 and the solutions provided.

1.Local children will lose an area where they like to fish and play?

Kids will lose a tiny space to play in for a short while, but Tarmac has already restored an area of its nearby sand and gravel quarry, and converted it into a fishing lake and conservation area. And in the long run, there are plans to build a brand new indoor sports centre on the site of the rock quarry.

2.Three local farmers will lose their jobs.

The rock quarry is located on land owned by local farmers who not only collect rent from Tarmac, but also get a percentage of sales. And the quarry provides employment for lots of local people. Of the 15 full-time workers on the site, only the quarry manager and the lab technician aren’t locals.

3.The rock quarry will destroy the natural beauty and geology of the site.

Careful restoration means the site will be in better condition after quarrying finishes than before Tarmac started excavation at Quarryville.

4.There may be a big demand for aggregates (crushed rock) from the construction industry but that doesn’t help local people.

Almost all of the materials excavated at Quarryville will be delivered to clients within 30 miles. These materials are used to build homes for local people to live in; not to mention roads, hospitals, schools and bridges. The brand new Rock Lobster Restaurant was built using materials from the quarry, and the marble floors of the museum were restored using limestone from the quarry.

5.The quarry will mean lots of lorries on the roads of Quarryville.

On average, 100 lorries a day pick up materials from the quarry. That may seem a lot, but it’s only about 8 an hour, a number far too small to make any noticeable difference to overall traffic levels. Also, Tarmac instructs its lorry drivers to avoid the town centre at peak hours in the morning and afternoon, when children are coming to and from school. At planning stage, it’s often agreed which routes will be taken to avoid town centres. Quarry companies often build new access roads which steer traffic away from local villages and onto major roads.

6.Tarmac will make lots of money from the quarry, but that doesn’t help the town of Quarryville.

The better Tarmac does, the better Quarryville does. As the quarry’s profits rise so does the tax Tarmac pays. Part of that tax goes to the local council in the form of business tax. That money helps to pay for local services like education and old people’s homes. And the more tax the council collects from businesses, the less tax it needs to collect from local residents.

7.The quarry will be very noisy and spread clouds of dust to Quarryville.

Rock quarries are surprisingly quiet places. There is a loud noise when explosives blast holes in the rock, but that only happens once a day at a time decided by the local council, and only lasts a few seconds. All the rest of the work breaking rocks down and sorting them is done in closed areas which are designed to keep the noise and dust inside.

8.The quarry will spoil the beauty of the surrounding area and effect tourism.

The quarry itself only occupies 2-square miles and is well sheltered by woodland. Unless they spotted the entry sign, people driving past on the main road 400 metres from the quarry wouldn’t even realise it was there. At many new quarries, the plants are designed and constructed at a low level and are hidden by trees. In the future, the fishing lakes and the nature reserve that Tarmac build on the restored land will promote tourism in the Quarryville area. At the planning stage, quarries are often required to plant trees. At one site near Preston, Lancashire, Tarmac had to plant 23,000 trees before they were allowed to dig up a single piece of soil!

So, as you can see, most of the original concerns about the rock quarry were nothing to worry about at all.

Nowadays, most people in Quarryville can’t imagine what life would be like without their big, friendly neighbour. Tarmac even sponsor the local football team, Quarryville Falcons.

What’s happening at Quarryville is a small example of what happens all over the country.

The total area of land permitted for quarrying aggregate is about 45,000 hectares, that’s just 0.35% of the surface area of England. And only half of that area is being quarried at present – that’s 0.17%, or less than one-fifth of one percent.

We’re sure you wouldn’t mind giving up one-fifth of one percent of your food – ie, a few crumbs off your plate - to stop another person going hungry. So why shouldn’t we all give up a few handfuls of earth to help build the houses, roads, hospitals, and millions of other things we all need?