During the time Aggregate Industries has been trying to work out how to destroy a farm in East Devon for a relatively insignificant amount of sand and gravel, in Scotland another quarry battle has been raging.
That battle came to a head last month, when Scottish ministers refused a quarry extension near the New Lanark world heritage site:
New Lanark is one of only six World Heritage sites in Scotland - the others being the island of St Kilda, Skara Brae in Orkney, the Roman Antonine Wall and Edinburgh's Old and New Towns and the Forth Bridge.
Cemex wanted to expand its current site into protected land close to the banks of the Falls of Clyde near New Lanark…. The Scottish government said it would not grant planning permission for the application in its entirety.
I have great news! π— Maxine Ross (@Fluffy_LeMonde) February 18, 2019
Scottish Govt reject Cemex application to extend Hyndford Quarry into the Buffer Zone of the New Lanark World Heritage Site at the Falls of Clyde. The quarry stops where it is. Fantastic work from all the team at New Lanark. Thankyou @Scotgov ππ΄σ §σ ’σ ³σ £σ ΄σ Ώπ pic.twitter.com/4MfmoyACOw
We have tweeted about this story on and off over the years. The controversy began in 2012 when Mexican multinational CEMEX first submitted its planning application to extend Hyndford Quarry towards the world heritage site:
… prompting objectors to launch a campaign against the extension, arguing that it would intrude into the buffer zone around the New Lanark world heritage site and be too close to the scenic Falls of Clyde. A working group, including representatives of Save our Landscapes and the New Lanark Trust, was set up, and more than 7,000 people signed a protest petition.
CEMEX’s plans were then called in by the Scottish Government, a public inquiry took place in 2014, and Scottish ministers refused planning consent in 2016. You might have thought that would be the end of it, but no. CEMEX appealed, and last month the Scottish government again refused consent.
So, that really must be the end of it, surely? Apparently not: CEMEX is now "considering legal action to get the decision reversed." Chair of the group Save Our Landscapes said:
The last time Scottish Ministers rejected the extension, Cemex assured UNESCO that it accepted the decision. It then launched an appeal that has cost themselves, the Scottish taxpayer, and community groups thousands of pounds and has delivered exactly the same result as last time. Cemex seems to have failed to notice that Scotland is a democracy and it is normal for elected politicians to make decisions here.
