An AMEC consultant today walked the Straitgate area assessing where best to position gauges for long-term monitoring of stream flows. Such gauges would not only inform any planning application, but also, if quarrying were to take place, highlight any changes to stream flows or response times to rainfall events as a result. During and after any potential quarrying, streams from Straitgate would legally need to maintain the same flow characteristics, so that wetland habitats in Ancient Woodland and downstream communities prone to flooding would be unaffected. It remains to be seen how this could ever be achieved.
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.