This whole thing is becoming a farce.
It’s now three years since Aggregate Industries’ first planning application to quarry Straitgate Farm, and we’re still facing one empty extension after another with no end in sight. In January, when AI said "we are confident of meeting your timetable for the April committee" we pointed to the Planning Advisory Service which says:
extensions of time should really be the exception
Readers may remember DCC's rush to get this application determined last year. In July 2017, DCC’s DMC committee resolved to make a site visit to Straitgate in advance of determination on 6 September. When that fell through, the Chairman was still "fairly well assured" that Straitgate would be determined at the next meeting, on 25 October.
And yet here we are, still facing delays. What’s going on? Anything?
In April of this year, AI agreed with DCC to extend determination of the Straitgate Farm and Hillhead applications again, this time "... from 30th April 2018 to 1st August 2018".
It now transpires that this deadline will not be met. Was there ever any intention of doing so?
Because it’s not clear what, if anything, AI has progressed since its previous extensions. At the end of last year, information was still outstanding on ecology, hydrogeology and highways. Six months on, work is still outstanding on ecology, hydrogeology and highways. On the latter, AI hasn’t even got around to the simple matter of a new traffic count.
If AI hasn’t put things on hold, it’s clearly no longer in any hurry.
