Aggregate Industries’ planning application to extend its Chard Junction Quarry – a development that would have caused considerable harm to the Dorset AONB for the sake of a relatively small amount of decorative stone – was refused in September 2021 by Dorset Council, and, after the company appealed the decision, again in October 2022 by the Planning Inspectorate.
The extant permission WD/D/20/000313 was "limited to the period ending 31 March 2023":
Reason: To safeguard the natural environment and amenity of the local area and to ensure the timely restoration of the site in accordance with Policies SSI (Presumption in favour of sustainable development), RS1 (Restoration, Aftercare and Afteruse of Minerals Development) and DM4 (Protection and Enhancement of Landscape Character and the Countryside) of the Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole Minerals Strategy.
But that wasn’t enough for Aggregate Industries.
In February 2023, the company submitted a planning application P/VOC/2023/00946 "seeking a time extension until the 31 December 2024 in order to complete the restoration of Chard Junction Quarry", blaming in part its failure to stick to the existing planning condition on "adverse weather conditions".
The Officer’s Report explained:
5.4 … given that permission WD/D/20/000313 lapsed on 31 March 2023, and that application WD/D/19/000451 was refused, for the operator to fulfil its obligation in restoring these areas, they are now proposing to vary the requirements of condition 3 (Duration of the development permitted) of Planning Permission WD/D/20/000313, to extend the end date to 31 December 2024, in order to have further time in which to restore the site.
The Dorset AONB Team commented:
Whilst our clear preference would be for the timely completion of restoration in line with the planning consent, we do not feel it appropriate to object to the requested extension of time. We recommend that the Council carefully examine the reasons for a time extension and reach an opinion as to the reasonableness of this in relation to the circumstances.
Dorset Council duly granted permission for the extension in May 2023.
But we all know by now that Aggregate Industries rarely does what it says it will.
Last month, the company submitted yet another planning application P/VOC/2024/06538, requesting yet another extension of time, this time blaming National Grid:
We are therefore seeking to vary Condition 1 of the Permission to extend the end date for completing restoration of the site to the 31 December 2025.Please be assured that the company remain committed to the completion of the restoration of this site and the delay that has caused this application has been due to matters entirely outside of our control.
