There has been disturbance and disruption to local people and destruction of farmland, but Aggregate Industries has succeeded in extracting the sand and gravel it needs for grading analysis. Boreholes are being drilled and groundwater monitoring stations are being set up around the site.
In 1965, Straitgate Farm near Ottery St Mary in Devon was bought by ECC Quarries in the hope it would yield 20 million tonnes of sand & gravel. In 2001, Straitgate Action Group was formed to oppose the development and its potential harm to water supplies, ancient wetland habitats, protected species and much more. In 2023, Aggregate Industries – owned by Swiss giant Holcim – was finally granted permission to quarry just 1 million tonnes following a public inquiry. This blog records the story.