In 2023, sales of sand and gravel in Devon were 0.370 million tonnes according to figures from Devon County Council.
At the end of 2023, Devon's sand and gravel reserves stood at 3.772 million tonnes. Devon County Council's Local Aggregate Assessment forecasts future demand based on a rolling average of 10 years’ sales data. In 2023, the 10-year average sales figure for sand and gravel in Devon was 0.505 million tonnes, giving a landbank of 3.772 / 0.505 = 7.5 years.
The Council's Minerals Plan runs until 2033 – a further 10 years. Using the 10-year average, a potential shortfall of sand and gravel over the remainder of the Plan period can be identified as (10 x 0.505) - 3.772 = 1.3 million tonnes.
The Minerals Plan allocated two Preferred Areas for the extraction of sand and gravel to cover such a shortfall, with resources of up to 1.2 million tonnes at Straitgate Farm for which permission was granted in 2023, and 8 million tonnes at West of Penslade Cross an application for part of which was lodged in 2025.
The Minerals Plan allocated two Preferred Areas for the extraction of sand and gravel to cover such a shortfall, with resources of up to 1.2 million tonnes at Straitgate Farm for which permission was granted in 2023, and 8 million tonnes at West of Penslade Cross an application for part of which was lodged in 2025.
