Key update on controversial quarry plans in small Lancashire village of Preesall
Controversial proposals to develop a quarry in the middle of a quiet Over Wyre village have been recommended for refusal by a planning officer, prior to a decision being made next week.
The proposals by developers Baxters to set up the works in Preesall have led to strong objections in the area.
A meeting to determine the application has been set for Wednesday October 15, with Lancashire County Council’s Development Control Committee to rule on the application at County Hall in Preston. The meeting is listed for 9.30am.
In pressing for the quarry, applicants Baxters, well known housebuilders, say the building industry is badly in need of a sand and gravel quarry at a time when councils’ Local Plans stress the need for new housing.
But opponents of the project have raised a raft of concerns, including the potential health impact of silica dust - linked to cancer -, concerns over noise levels and highway concerns.
They say it is simply in the wrong place and should not be close to people’s homes, as the Preesall proposals are.
In the run-up to the meeting, campaigners have welcomed the recommendation of the planning officer to reject the quarry plans on the grounds of concerns over highway safety, dust and noise.
The officer states: “The development would have unacceptable impacts on highway safety which cannot be adequately mitigated and the development therefore conflicts with Paragraph 116 of the National Planning Policy Framework, Policy DM2 of the Joint Lancashire Minerals and Waste Local Plan and Policy CDMP6 of the Wyre Local Plan.
“The development by reason of proximity to residential properties would have unacceptable noise and dust impacts that could not be satisfactorily mitigated contrary to Paragraph 198 of the National Planning Policy Framework, Policy DM2 of the Joint Lancashire Minerals and Waste Local Plan and Policy CDMP1 of the Wyre Local Plan .”
Cllr Collette Rushforth, a Wyre Council member for Preesall, has campaigned against the proposals from the start and will be one of up to 15 allotted speakers against the application at the meeting.
The same number of speakers will be allowed to support the proposals.
Cll Rushforth said: “The recommendation by the planning officer to refuse the application is very important.
“The committee can go against a recommendation but they have got to have very strong reasons for doing that. so I feel this is a big help to our campaign.
“The quarry is too damned close to people’s houses and should not be allowed there – it’s simply the wrong place.”
She is calling for objectors of the proposals to attend the meeting in support of the protest campaign, which includes an online group, Preesall and Knott End against Quarry Application.
Wyre Council, consultees for the planning process, have also registered opposition to the quarry, as have Preesall Town Council and Hambleton Parish Council.
Speakers at the meeting opposing the quarry will include a statement from Lancaster a nd Wyre MP Cat Smith, and speeches by Lancashire County Councillor Matthew Salter, Wyre member Cllr Rushforth and Pressall Town Council member/Wyre councillor, Cllr Clare Rimmer.
A number of residents are also expected to speak at the meeting. Three minutes will be allocated to each speaker.
A spokesman for Greenfield Enviro, agents on behalf of Baxter Homes, previously said: “As part of the application process and the preparation of the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment), all potential impacts on the local community and the local environment have been assessed and mitigation measures to minimise or eliminate any impacts have been clearly identified where they are deemed necessary.”