Notts set for five new quarries
Five new quarries could be built in Nottinghamshire over the next 15 years, according to a new report.
Nottinghamshire County Council’s Minerals Local Plan (MLP) is propsing five new sand and gravel quarries between now and 2031, at Barnby Moor; Botany Bay; Coddington; Flash Farm and Shelford. Any sites will be subject to future planning applications from the quarrying industry and careful consideration by the County Council’s Planning and Licensing Committee.
The Plan also recommends extensions to 14 existing quarries. This is made up of 10 extensions to existing sand and gravel quarries; three extensions to existing Sherwood Sandstone quarries and one extension to an existing clay pit.
The MLP will be used to guide all future minerals development in Nottinghamshire up to 2031. It sets a clear framework for all future planning applications for minerals in the county to be judged against.
Preparation of the new plan began in 2011 and there have been a number of rounds of public consultation as the plan has developed.
The MLP will be considered by members of the Environment and Sustainability Committee on Thursday 22 September, before passing to the Full Council for final discussions in November. Subject to Full Council agreement, the MLP and proposed modifications will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate, prior to an independent examination by a planning inspector.
Sally Gill, planning group manager at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “The Minerals Local Plan is not a ‘nice to have’ – it’s an essential document which the Government requires us to have by law. Without it, we could face the prospect of only being able to use broad, national planning policies to decide major planning applications, undermining the opportunity to take local issues into account.
“In preparing the plan, we have listened carefully to the needs of both the mineral industry and local people.
“Minerals are needed to build the homes in which we live, the offices in which we work, the roads on which we travel and providing the electricity and heat that we all need. Overall, we believe our analysis of an additional 30 million tonnes of sand and gravel and 3.17m tonnes of Sherwood sandstone is a realistic allocation to meet the needs of industry for the next 15 years.”
