Tungsten West has withdrawn its planning application DCC/4314/2022 to increase HGV movements from Plymouth's tungsten and tin mine at Hemerdon from 50 to 200 per day. The application to facilitate the sale of secondary aggregates had attracted hundreds of objections. The company says it has listened:
As a new company, we’ve learned a lot from this experience – the strength of feeling from local people about the volume of traffic and times of movements was severely underestimated, but we’ve heard you, we’ve listened and we’re taking action. We still believe that selling our secondary aggregates is the right thing to do, not only because it makes good business sense to minimise waste and maximise income streams, it will also benefit the environment, as secondary aggregates produce approximately 25% of the carbon footprint of primary aggregates. However, we are not prepared to develop a secondary aggregates business in a way that costs us the relationships we are trying to build with the local and wider community... In the short-term, we will halt the sale of secondary aggregates. Once we are in production, we will look to work within the HGV movement limits of 50 per day specified in our existing planning permission as our starting position.
Previous posts on the Hemerdon Mine can be found here.
The operator which is planning to restart production said it is 'serious about being a good neighbour'https://t.co/Lz2lhFhUPP
— Plymouth Live (@Plymouth_Live) November 19, 2022
Sales of aggregates continued throughout the reporting period, with £117,000 revenue being recognised. The Group ceased its production of aggregates from waste material left by the previous operator after selling 102,000 tonnes of material and demonstrating the ability to establish a market for the product. Aggregates production will recommence as the mineral processing ramp up completes. Product mix and volumes will be in line with mine waste facility strategy and valid permits.
