Controversial quarry application set to be approved

Richard Evans Local Democracy Reporter

A planning committee is set to debate extending the life of a dormant quarry in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The debate will take place on Wednesday (July 16) when Denbighshire County Council councillors will discuss Tarmac Trading Ltd’s Section 73 application, which if granted could allow the company to continue working at Burley Hill Quarry for 15 years.

The quarry on Pant Du Road, Eryrys, near Mold, was originally granted planning permission in 1950 until December 13, 2021, and now the company wants permission to continue extracting 3.8m tonnes of limestone.

But those against the development cite noise, heavy traffic, damage to the environment, and disturbance as reasons to reject the plans.

Others have raised concerns about the damage to tourism.

Delays

The debate has twice been delayed by the planning committee in March and April, following councillors voting to defer the application to allow further public consultation.

But planning officers are recommending the committee grants permission, despite widespread objections from residents and community councils.

Llanferres Community Council, Llanarmon-yn-Iâl Community Council, Nercwys Community Council, and Mold Town Council all object to the proposals.

So too does the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) joint advisory committee, as well as Madra and Ramblers Cymru.

Senedd members Sam Rowland, Carolyn Thomas, Darren Millar, Lyr Gruffydd, Hannah Blythyn, and Mark Isherwood have all raised major concerns.

Speaking on Friday 11 July, Darren Millar MS said: “The reasons for refusing this application are plentiful, and I am not surprised that so many residents are up in arms against the application.

“Llanferres Community Council have set up a petition against the proposals which has been signed by almost 400 people. The quarry closed 20 years ago, and there has been a lot of change in the area since then with many new businesses, many of which rely on tourism to thrive.

“We need to protect local residents and businesses, from noise and pollution, and safeguard road safety along the route from Pant Du, through Nercwys and into Mold.”

He added: “Opposing reopening the quarry will also protect important wildlife habitats and help to maintain the environment in the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. An extension to this quarry would be severely detrimental to the local area.”

Letter

A letter sent to Denbighshire from Llanarmon yn iâl Community Council reads: “As the site is located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with narrow roads, a further 15 years of extraction would cause unacceptable disruption.

“The woods were divided into plots, and the offices are now used as holiday accommodation; this holiday accommodation is now too close to the quarry. Since Hendre Quarry (in Flintshire) has gained planning permission for a large extension, it would now enable a good supply of better-quality stone.”

The AONB Joint Advisory Committee also wrote to the council. The letter said: “Reopening the quarry and extending its life for a further 15 years will have a significant adverse impact on local tranquillity through an increase in noise, heavy traffic, and a general increase in activity and disturbance associated with quarrying operations.”

But planning officers say that if the quarry is refused permission, “reserves would remain unworked, and the minerals would be required to be acquired elsewhere”, and this would have “implications for the continuity of aggregate supplies in Denbighshire, northeast Wales, and beyond into the North West Region of England”.

A planning statement added: “It is therefore considered that there is a demonstrable need for the mineral which would outweigh any temporary harm to the tranquillity of the AONB, which can be mitigated.

“Whilst it is considered that there would be an impact on tranquillity, it would not undermine the natural beauty of the AONB, given the limited time and frequency of the proposed campaign events.

“Furthermore, the proposed operations would be at a lesser intensity with a reduced output level compared to that of when the site was operational pre-2005 when the AONB designation was in place. Therefore, the impact on tranquillity alone would not justify a reason for refusal of this extension-of-time application and as such, on balance, planning permission should be granted.”

The planning meeting takes place on Wednesday 16 July at Ruthin County Hall HQ.