In 2017, when AI submitted two "inextricably linked" planning applications, one for quarrying Straitgate Farm and the other for the importation of the winnings into Hillhead Quarry, the latter included a scheme to widen 400m of Clay Lane. This was to permit two-way movement of HGVs, giving "operational benefits" to AI, as well as making life easier for the local community.
The widening scheme was touted as a quid pro quo, a benefit "sufficient to outweigh the negative impact of transporting the Straitgate minerals to Hillhead Quarry for processing", a benefit, AI argued, sufficient to "overcome the apparent conflict with Policy M22" of the Devon Minerals Plan.
As we know, AI’s application for Straitgate has been mired in problems. In July, we posted AI submits new planning application for Hillhead – read into that what you will, how the company had made a separate stand-alone application to widen Clay Lane "not linked to the currently pending application for importation of sand and gravel from Straitgate Farm into Hillhead Quarry for processing" 1.2.
This application has now been approved with conditions. The officer’s report gives the background:
The quarry is a long-established extraction site located in Mid Devon, 1.9 km to the east of M5 Junction 27 and 1.2km the village of Uffculme. It lies adjacent to an area known as ‘West of Penslade Cross’ which is allocated as a Preferred Area in the Devon Minerals Plan: 2011-2033 which consists of a further 8 million tonnes of sand and gravel. The existing quarry complex extends to beyond 91 hectares.
An application was originally submitted by the mineral operator in March 2017 relating to the widening of the road in conjunction with the importation of up to 1.5 million tonnes of raised sand and gravel from a proposed site in East Devon. The proposed site has yet to be determined. Given this, this application has been separated out to be determined as a standalone part of the project. The original application relating to the importation is currently held in abeyance. This proposal to widen the existing access road to Hillhead Quarry would provide the width to enable two-way traffic to the site entrance. At present quarry traffic is routed through a one-way system.
The road widening would impact approx. 0.82ha of land. It would remove the need for traffic from this development to route through Broad Path junction which passes a cluster of houses at the junction to the A38, the current routing of quarry traffic on this junction has been a concern for local residents for some time and as such approving this application would be a improved scenario for these residents. It is noted that should ‘West of Penslade Cross’ be brought forward then the widening of this road would be an expectation of that extension of working.
What the approval of this stand-alone application now means, therefore, is that AI’s current "inextricably linked" applications for Straitgate and Hillhead can no longer bring the benefit of 400m of road widening "sufficient to outweigh" the negative impacts from 2.5 million miles of HGV haulage, and can no longer bring, as AI claims, "great benefit to residential amenity and carry significant weight in the decision making process".
In which case, what benefit and significant weight in the decision making process would the Straitgate application now bring, sufficient to outweigh thousands of tonnes of CO2 and air pollution, and damage to local roads equivalent to 17 billion car movements, given that 12 million tonnes – 30 to 40 years' worth – of sand and gravel already sits next to AI's shiny new processing plant at Hillhead?
