Which issue will make YOU sit up and take action?

Noise - Further extensions of already anti-social hours with no independant noise surveys.

Traffic - Increase in quantity & sizes of lorries causing dangerous congestion, damage to roads and raised verges.

Dust - We are all suffering from this problem sometimes without even knowing it.  We only need to look at our door, windows and cars to begin to understand the amount we, and our children, are all currently breathing in. 

Just think what 24 hours, 7 days per week would do.

Wildlife - The Quarry would be extended outside of the "preferred area", this threatens the habitat of local wildlife, including rare and protected species.

Countryside - Wickwar's conservation areas, historic sites, and building affected.

Water - Any major earthworks, such as the quarry, risks seriously affecting watercourses in the area.  Landfill would increase the risk of water table pollution.

Planning regulations are currently being extensively broken (as admitted openly by Cemex). 

Some major breaches include:

• machines operating outside agreed times (crusher should run between 6:30 until 19:00);
• quantity of rock extracted is currently 177% of that agreed;
• Lorry numbers per-day is considerably above that agreed.

No enforcement is being made by South Gloucestershire Council.

Restoring the quarry once all workings have ceased - Cemex already has Planning Permission to use part of the quarry site for Landfill, but are restricted to "inert waste" only.  It would be plausible for the owners to apply to increase this to the whole site and to include "household waste".  If passed, this could contribute to the UK's largest Landfill area - right on our doorstep!

Commitments were made by the Quarry at the time of agreement of the last Planning Permissions.  These are know as "106s".  None of these have so far been implemented.

So, what are the Expansion Proposals?

Planning Applications have recently been submitted by Cemex to South Gloucestershire Council.  There are, in brief:

1. Extension of Limestone Quarry (PT07/0573/F)
2. Coating plant to work 24 hours/day, 365 days/year (PT07/0578/RVC)
3. Extended hours for crushing, screening etc (PT07/0577/RVC)

Cemex is a large Mexican company who took over the Wickwar Quarry in 2005. 

So what can you do?

The submitted plans and their consequences will significantly affect Wickwar for at least the next 20 to 40 years.  All residents comments must be submitted to South Gloucestershire Council by the first week of June 2007.  Time is running out to do something about it - SO ACT NOW!

Write or email to planning immediately

Attention of Mr Simon Ford
Planning Department
South Gloucestershire Council
High Street
Kingswood
Bristol BS15 9TR

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it (quoting the planning references above).

Alernatively, lodge a comment online: http://planning.southglos.gov.uk and search for "Wickwar Quarry".  Open each of the three planning applications and click on "Comment".

Write or email Steve Webb MP immediately

Poole Court
Poole Court Drive
Yate
Bristol BS37 5PP

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Write or email Howard Gawler immediately

Shale Cottage
Wotton Road
Iron Acton
South Gloucestershire
BS37 9XE

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

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