Quarry expansion plans approved despite local opposition

Nicholas Thomas, local democracy reporter

Contentious plans to extend a quarry have won approval despite objections from more than 100 nearby residents.

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s planning committee heard impassioned arguments for and against the new proposals for Gelliargwellt Uchaf Farm, at a meeting on Wednesday February 12.

There, applicant Bryn Aggregates Ltd plans to extend the quarry northwards and eastwards by 131 metres in an operation estimated to last another 19 years.

Case officer Anthony Pyne said the council had received objections from more than 100 residents and the St Cattwg ward’s three county councillors – as well as 31 representations in support of the application.

At a planning committee meeting, planning agent John Campion, speaking in support of the plans, said the applicant had “listened carefully” to concerns raised when the council refused a previous bid to develop the quarry in 2021.

He said the current proposals would “deliver a positive lasting legacy” for the environment and the local community.

Peat land

The site will be “returned to plants and peat land” following the quarry operations, and the development – if approved – will include footpaths and a sports pitch as a “major benefit” to the area.

The committee also heard from three speakers who opposed the quarry extension.

St Cattwg ward councillor Ann Gair said the site was “encroaching ever closer to people’s homes” and residents “face the prospect of continuing to suffer the effects of this quarry for another 19 years”.

“What was once a lovely village has now turned into the expansion of an industrial site”, said Cllr Gair, adding residents were “left wondering when this nightmare will end”.

She also branded the addition of the footpaths and sports pitch to the expansion plan a “cynical ploy”.

Air quality

Fellow ward councillor Haydn Pritchard raised concerns about the impact of an expanded quarry operation on air quality, the environment, and residents’ health.

He told the committee the new application was “essentially the same as you refused in 2021”.

Gillian Davies, of Nelson Community Council, said an extension would be “detrimental” to villagers, who have “serious concerns” about more lorries using the roads.

Planning applications should “put people before profit”, she told the committee.

Mr Pyne said council planners had “carefully considered” the application and judged “the principle of the development is acceptable”, however.

He said the quarry produced aggregate used in road construction, and there is a “significant need for such minerals”.

Mr Pyne also noted the distance between the quarry operations and the nearest properties would be more than 300 metres, which is more than national guidance stipulates.

Carwyn Powell, the council’s team leader development manager, said his department found the “impact of the development can be managed to an acceptable level… in planning terms”.

Cllr Shane Williams accepted the application had to be considered on planning merits only, but said “the idea these residents face another 19 years of this [quarrying] must fill them with pure dread”.

A vote by committee members ended in a tie, with chairman Cllr Roy Saralis using his deciding vote to approve planning permission.

Following the meeting, Alun Price, managing director of Bryn Group, said: “We are grateful to the Caerphilly planning committee members for recognising the work we have done to address their concerns with our earlier application to extend the quarry.

“The quarry will continue to meet a much-needed demand for the scarce and strategically important sandstone aggregate found at Gelliargwellt Uchaf, while also delivering environmental improvements, educational opportunities, and community benefits.”