Another year has passed, and even though Aggregate Industries won planning permission to quarry Straitgate Farm almost two years ago – after a decade-long effort – the company has still not recovered a single bucket-load of that oh-so-precious sand and gravel from the site.
Having achieved little over the last 2 years, the company has left itself much to do in the next 12 months if it is to implement the permission before it expires on 5 January 2026.
For instance, it must:
- have a raft of schemes to satisfy pre-commencement planning conditions approved by Devon County Council;
- evict the dairy farm tenants – whose family has farmed at Straitgate for nearly 100 years – to overcome the expired cattle crossing permission and to achieve the enhanced biodiversity net gain figures required;
- design a workable site access scheme to fit in the narrow space between the two TPO’d oak trees and the third party hedgebank;
- design a surface water management plan – based on a series of yet-to-be-performed and results-far-from-certain infiltrometer drainage tests – that will not risk creating any prohibited-by-planning-conditions bodies of water, noting how problematical surface water management is currently proving for the company at Hillhead;
- drill 4 new boreholes, install piezometers, and complete 12 months of baseline monitoring from them;
- correct some of its water monitoring programme, and complete 12 months of accurate baseline monitoring;
- and more...
And yet – as the company made clear earlier in the year – Aggregate Industries currently has no appetite to work the site, given the economic outlook and the costly HVO-fuelled multi-million-mile haulage plan.
During the year, however, Aggregate Industries did find the motivation to apply to quarry another 460,000 tonnes of sand and gravel – the same sort of sand and gravel that underlies Straitgate – at its Houndaller site next to its processing plant at Hillhead Quarry near Uffculme, that, according to the company, will see it through to the end of 2029:
The current estimate completion date for extraction [at Houndaller] is end of 2029 with completion of restoration and landscaping by 2031, this is based on an average production rate of 350,000 tonnes per annum.
Although, judging by the figures, Aggregate Industries has in fact been producing sand and gravel at Hillhead over the last few years at the reduced rate of just 250,000 tonnes per annum. At that rate, Houndaller’s reserves would last another 8 years or so.
So, no wonder Aggregate Industries doesn’t really seem that bothered with Straitgate.
But such mineral talk is very un-Christmassy, so, to finish off the year on a lighter note, here’s a popular Christmas carol – with a Straitgate twist and themed scene to match – courtesy of the other sort of AI:
– Verse 1 –
Dashing through the woods,
Where the oak trees proudly stand,
Dormice make their homes,
In this precious, thriving land.
But here comes a plan,
To tear it all away,
We’ll raise our voices loud and clear,
To keep destruction at bay!
– Chorus –
Stop the quarry, save the trees,
Let the dormice play,
Drinking water’s under threat,
Don’t wash it all away!
Stop the quarry, save our springs,
Nature’s worth the fight,
Protect this land for future dreams,
And keep our future bright!
– Verse 2 –
The oak trees stand so tall,
With roots both deep and true,
They’ve weathered years of storms,
Don’t let them fall for you.
The dormice need their space,
The water must stay clean,
No digging here, no dusty trucks,
Let Devon stay serene!
– Chorus –
Stop the quarry, save the trees,
Let the dormice play,
Drinking water’s under threat,
Don’t wash it all away!
Stop the quarry, save our springs,
Nature’s worth the fight,
Protect this land for future dreams,
And keep our future bright!
– Verse 3 –
Devon’s land is rare,
A treasure we must guard,
With ancient oaks and wildlife here,
Destruction hits so hard.
The drinking water’s pure,
A gift we must defend,
No quarrying should take its toll,
This harm must have an end!
– Chorus –
Stop the quarry, save the trees,
Let the dormice play,
Drinking water’s under threat,
Don’t wash it all away!
Stop the quarry, save our springs,
Nature’s worth the fight,
Protect our home for all to share,
And keep our future bright!
We wish all readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
