Concerns over plans to recover up to 200,000 tonnes of material from quarry

Anthony Lewis Local Democracy Reporter

Plans to recover a maximum of 200,000 tonnes of material a year from a quarry are set for a decision with hundreds opposing the plans due to concerns over the impact on local roads and from dust.

An application for the construction of an aggregates recovery facility at Forest Wood Quarry in Cowbridge Road, Talygarn, Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) is due to be considered by RCT Council’s planning committee on Thursday, July 18.

The facility would be located on land towards the south-eastern side of the quarry, close to the main access into the site from the A4222 Cowbridge Road.

Report

The planning report said that the application explains there are approximately one million tonnes of byproduct that have been discarded on site by the previous operator and left within the curtilage of the quarry.

The application from Ryan Jones Group Ltd sets out that large quantities of aggregates and soils can be recovered from this by-product to supply local markets.

The report said that the facility would recover aggregates from inert construction and demolition waste brought into the site and the production and sale of these would be complementary to that already produced at the site.

The development is estimated to create up to 10 new full time jobs and is proposed to have a maximum annual throughput of 200,000 tonnes per year, the report said.

The hours of operation would be 7am to 7pm from Monday to Friday and 7am to 1pm on Saturday with no operation on Sunday or bank holidays.

Appraisal

The planning appraisal said the application site comprises a parcel of land with a surface area of approximately 1.68 hectares which is within the curtilage of Forest Wood Quarry.

It said that the quarry, which encompasses a total land area of around 29 hectares in the applicant’s ownership, lies in open countryside to the south of Llanharry and the M4 motorway and produces a range of limestone aggregates.

It said there are a handful of dwellings/agricultural units within the immediate surrounding area, the closest of which, to the area in question, are located around 190m to the south, 340m to the south-east and 370m to the north-east.

It said that the part of the development where the plant is proposed to be erected is adjacent to land designated as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC).

Around 195 letters of objection were received and some of these objectors have submitted multiple comments or engaged in ongoing correspondence, the report said.

Two petitions have been received, the first with 240 names and the second with 87 names.

Objections have also been received from Alex Davies-Jones MP, Heledd Fychan MS and Mick Antoniw MS, and Andrew RT Davies MS has raised questions and concerns about the length of the determination process highlighting the beneficial impact to local jobs and the economy from the development

Since the April committee meeting, around 100 further letters of objection have been received.

Some of the main concerns raise relate to highways and traffic, noise, air quality, the visual impact, the environment, the local economy and procedure.

Opponents of the plan say the highway network is congested and cannot cope with the existing number of HGVs, particularly during morning and afternoon rush hour periods and that the highway is already in a bad condition and the additional HGV traffic will make it worse.

They said Brynsadler is a bottle neck where traffic cannot freely pass and that a direct access should be provided via a new slip road onto the M4.

They also said a fatality and several collisions have occurred involving HGVs and that traffic will try to use other narrow country lanes to bypass Pontyclun with a huge volume of residential traffic already using the narrow country lane from Llanharry to Tylagarw and on to Coedcae Lane in order to avoid queues.

They said HGVs passing close to properties, particularly those through Brynsadler, are subject to noise from HGVs, which cause vibrations through properties and additional noises of thumping or clanging due to potholes, drains and imperfections in the road surface.

Objectors said that large diesel engines cause excessive emissions of particulates which are harmful to health, crushing and screening construction demolition waste and hard core may create dust potentially containing contaminants and affecting respiratory health and that existing quarry operations causes dust which is often carried and deposited on cars and homes.

They said there should be monitoring and control plans for the site to ensure emission limits are managed effectively.

They also said the water courses in the area have been affected by the works of the quarry and that the area is also an SINC (Site of Importance for Nature Conservation) and high priority should be given to the local landscape and wildlife adding that there is concern with how “dirty water” will be dealt with.

They also worried that  increasing the activity at the quarry will cause additional traffic congestion in Pontyclun which will deter much needed visitors from visiting and shopping.

In terms of the visual impact, they said it is detrimental to all surrounding neighbours and it could be situated in a far better location.

Policy

In recommending approval, planning officers have said the proposed development would accord with the national planning policy position relating to minerals and waste development.

They said “the development aligns with the aims of the Welsh Government to promote a national sustainable mineral policy and would help to ensure the steady supply of aggregate for the benefit of the Welsh construction sector.

“In addition to contributing towards the growth of the circular economy, the development would help to promote the use of recycled materials, reduce dependence on primary won minerals and would be located in an appropriate place.

“The development has also evidenced that it could deliver a net biodiversity benefit, would have an acceptable impact on the appearance of the site and immediate landscape and would neither cause a significant impact to the amenity of third parties or be detrimental to highway safety.”

The application had previously come to committee in April but it was deferred for a site visit which took place earlier this month.

They said that ongoing concerns in respect of highways infrastructure and the traffic movements that would be generated by the proposal are acknowledged and not underestimated.

But they said that the scope of the proposed development set against the historical operation of the quarry as well as the fallback position of unrestricted extraction and output and the proposed planning obligation to restrict tonnages from both existing and new operations have also been considered in the planning balance.

They said it is considered that the benefits of the proposed development and the national planning policy framework “weigh very heavily in favour” of the proposal.