Back in May, we posted that Aggregate Industries’ planning application for Straitgate Farm was in a mess. After several years of trying to make things work, DCC was still left requesting further information on a multitude of points; points ranging from cows crossing busy roads to provision for failing drinking water supplies; points including the Environment Agency’s objection, surface water management, the use of third party land, HGV access onto the fast-moving B3174, ecological impact, and the "unsustainability of Hillhead Quarry as a location for processing materials from Straitgate Farm".
AI’s response to these points has now been submitted and can be found here.
Local people, subjected over the last 17 years to countless consultations for two Minerals Plans and two planning applications, are thoroughly sick and tired of this never ending debacle. They now find themselves facing another mass of documents, and another consultation; a consultation, whether by design or not, that will begin at the start of the school holidays.
Has anything changed?
The extraction area has shrunk from 25.6ha to 22.6ha - but AI doesn’t tell us by how much this has reduced the available mineral resource.
Amazingly, there are still no figures on CO2 or air pollution emissions for AI's madcap 2.5 million mile scheme to transport the material to Uffculme for processing.
AI accepts that the displaced cows crossing the busy B3174 four times a day to reach replacement pasture "could be an additional hazard to users of Exeter Road" - over and above the 200 or so additional HGV movements a day of course - but thinks that some flashing lights should do the trick.
We'll post more in due course.
