AI’s ROMP application for Hillhead finally approved – extending working to 2037

Having exhausted its last quarry in East Devon in 2016 – Aggregate Industries is now supplying sand and gravel from Hillhead near Uffculme in Mid Devon. It is Hillhead – with 4 million tonnes already with permission, and a further 8 million tonnes next-door allocated as a Preferred Area in the Devon Minerals Plan – that is now home to AI’s processing plant that until last year could be found at Blackhill near Woodbury. It is Hillhead that has the same type of material – from the Budleigh Salterton Pebble Beds – that underlies Straitgate.

Last month, DCC approved a review of mineral planning conditions for Hillhead DCC/3655/2014 – and extended consent for the Houndaller part of the site – the part with the 4 million tonnes – until 2037. Planning consent for Houndaller had expired on 31 December 2018.

Hillhead, as the officer’s report pointed out, has a history of quarrying:

It is understood that [there was] quarrying at Hillhead as early as 1880s and, more recently, a number of mineral planning permissions were granted dating from the 1940s.

You might ask why, therefore, if there is so much material at Hillhead, is there any need for Straitgate? You might ask why, therefore, with the processing plant at Hillhead some 23 miles away from Straitgate, is AI pursuing the site – with all its inherent problems and barely a million tonnes of resource. They’re good questions, for which AI has no cogent answers. Last November, we posted AI’s resurrected plant at Hillhead has enough material nearby to take it beyond 2050. In January, we posted So, Straitgate’s not ‘needed’ until 2021 – says AI – which proves it’s not needed at all, highlighting that:

Aggregate Industries is no longer in any rush to quarry Straitgate Farm – judging by documents lodged last year in support of the company's ROMP application DCC/3655/2014 for Hillhead, an application submitted in 2014 but still not determined. AI’s document says:

Should Straitgate Farm obtain planning permission in 2018, extraction would likely commence in 2021. 2.13

Of course, 2018 has come and gone, and now we’re well into 2019, and AI still shows no sign of submitting the information – substantive information on hydrogeology, traffic, even cattle movements across the Exeter Road – requested by DCC back in 2017. As we pointed out, if AI can do without Straitgate until 2021 – 5 years from when Straitgate was originally planned as a direct replacement for Venn Ottery Quarry – then plainly, as we posted:

the relatively small amount of material from Straitgate – with its inherently high carbon footprint – is clearly not needed at all.

But what calamity would befall AI if Straitgate were not quarried? AI’s ROMP application for Hillhead talks about this. In fact, AI claims that without Straitgate, Hillhead would apparently – forgetting, of course, those 8 million tonnes in the Preferred Area next-door – be restored that much sooner:

In the event that the Straitgate Farm application is refused planning permission, Houndaller material shall continue to be processed at an average rate of 350,000 saleable tpa with extraction ceasing in c.2029. The applicant is willing to accept a condition requiring the restoration of the processing plant site at Hillhead Quarry within two years following the cessation of extraction at Houndaller. 2.16

So, Straitgate is not mission critical to AI’s operations then? Apparently not. For all the aggravation, the loss of a farm, the risk to water supplies to 100 people, 3 farms and a Grade I listed Tudor manor house with mediaeval fishponds, the risk to Exeter Road users from up to 200 HGV movements a day, the risk to wetland habitats in ancient woodland, the risk of flooding to communities downstream, the risk of birdstrike to aircraft on their landing descent to Exeter Airport, the loss of ancient hedgerows and veteran oak trees, habitat for bats and dormice, the loss of Roman and Iron Age remains, the visual impact, for all the CO2 emissions and the 2.5 million HGV miles:

The gravel rich Straitgate Farm mineral would complement the material currently being extracted at Houndaller 2.14

Wow. It will be DCC’s job to weigh up all those points and arrive at a planning balance.

Local elections

Flyers are dropping through letterboxes for the elections on 2 May.

Here's what Richard Grainger, standing as an Independent candidate for Ottery St Mary Town Council North Ward, had to say about Aggregate Industries' proposals for Straitgate Farm:

‘Landmark judgement gives hope to victims of corporate crime everywhere’

The UK Supreme Court has ruled that villagers in Zambia can sue UK-based mining giant Vedanta in a British court – over the alleged pollution of their water sources with toxic material from 2005 onwards:

Martyn Day, senior partner at law firm Leigh Day, which is representing the Zambian villagers, said: "I hope this judgment will send a strong message to other large multinationals that their CSR [Corporate Social Responsibility] policies should not just be seen as a polish for their reputation but as important commitments that they must put into action."

Landmark judgement just issued from @UKSupremeCourt gives hope to victims of corporate crime everywhere. #Zambia victims pave the way for #UK companies to face justice for #humanrights and #environmental harm. Judgement is here: https://t.co/a3jrbAiMS4 pic.twitter.com/MgSpODsDxy

— Anneke VanWoudenberg (@woudena) April 10, 2019

South West mining investment ‘highest in 40 years’

It's not the first time we've pointed to the quote from Mark Twain:

A mine is a hole in the ground with a liar standing next to it.

Men have long been drawn to shiny materials buried in the ground – often throwing caution to the wind, and losing vast fortunes for their backers as a result. Only last year, Australian prospectors Wolf Minerals – first attracted in 2007 to the deposits of tungsten and tin at Hemerdon near Plymouth, deposits discovered in 1867 but largely unworked since 1944 – ceased trading after losing more than £100 million in three years.

Clearly this episode has not put others off, not even Cornwall Council. Apparently, more money is being spent in the hope of restarting mines across the South West than at any point in the last 40 years.

South West mining investment 'highest in 40 years' https://t.co/E02oVnCKve pic.twitter.com/HCOzkd3tcO

— Spotlight (@BBCSpotlight) April 5, 2019

Canadian mining firm Strongbow is nearly ready to empty flood waters from South Crofty, which has been closed since 1998, but still needs to raise about £100m more on the stock market before it can get as far as mining tin commercially… Cornwall Council is ready to invest £1m of public money to help the mine restart, as long as other investors come forward in sufficient numbers, too.

In east Cornwall, Anglo-Australian company Cornwall Resources has been test drilling for tin and tungsten at Redmoor mine in Kelly Bray, and they say results show that they're sitting on the largest undeveloped tin-tungsten deposit in the world.

Meanwhile, 'Cornwall lithium mine could be European first':

An Australian-owned firm is hoping Cornwall will become the first European hub for lithium mining… "There's no production of Lithium in the whole of Europe, so if we can build a mine - which we believe we can - in Cornwall, this would give the UK a strategic advantage over the rest of the EU".

Hertford quarry appeal dismissed

Last year, we posted Hertford Bengeo quarry application rejected again by Hertfordshire County Council. There were considerable concerns about dust from the proposed sand and gravel quarry:

Dr David Adam, an ecologist from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, spoke against the application, telling councillors that particles from the quarry travel far further than its limits and posed a significant health risk.

The applicant appealed. Following a public inquiry, the Planning Inspectorate recommended the appeal be dismissed. Two paragraphs from the Inspector's report on dust:

281. The effects on air quality and health were raised by about 90% of the objectors. Many consider that the scheme would have a detrimental impact on air quality and would pose health issues for local residents, especially for children at Bengeo School and using the playing fields. The proposed quarry site is 350 metres away, opposite the primary school with a large staff supporting more than 500 three to eleven year olds. Dust from the quarry would contain tiny crystal particles. Research based on the monitoring of workers in a quarry digging up the same sand and gravel has found it to contain carcinogens. There is an undoubted risk of exposure to fine particles of silica dust. This is a fact that is acknowledged by numerous bodies and is indeed referenced in the consultation document for the eMLP. Inhalation of silica dust is known (UK HSE) to cause health issues, including lung disease, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer.

302. There is no reliable evidence on how much silica dust would pollute the air around the quarry. On average it forms 15% of PM10 dust for a lot of quarries. Details about the size-distribution and composition of the material in the Kesgrave formation would be needed to do so, but is absent. The HIA should be based on relevant observational science not models and regulations. Carcinogenic RCS dust is a hazard, but the HIA relies on dust not being generated, which has not been the experience at other sites. Personnel working at the quarry under HSE regulations would need to wear protective clothing, but such stringent rules would not apply to the general public in the locality. It only takes a very small amount of airborne RCS dust to create a health hazard. Some US states have set stringent silica exposure guidelines, which would be exceeded if the proposed quarry resulted in 1.5 µg/m3 of silica per 10 µg/m3 increase in PM10. The residents of Bengeo should not be exposed to this obvious risk. Site specific observations should have been taken to exclude the risk of exposure to this highly toxic and carcinogenic material. Defra limits do not give a level at which there can be confidence that no health effects would result.

There were a multitude of other concerns too – including on hydrogeology – and last week, no doubt to the relief of the people of Hertford and the nearby primary school, the Secretary of State endorsed the Inspector's decision:

The Secretary of State considers that the impact on landscape and character, and hydrogeology each carry substantial weight against the proposal.

The risk of contaminating groundwater would give rise to an adverse effect of moderate significance, which should given substantial weight because of the implications for the public water supply ... the absence of an appropriate mechanism and planning condition to safeguard the aquifer, ... would pose an unacceptable risk to groundwater pollution.

The Planning Inspectorate's and Secretary of State's reports can be found here.

Delighted for #Bengeo residents that everyone’s efforts to stop this application has succeeded. Thanks to local campaigners, councillors and HertsCC. A real team effort! https://t.co/i0McNnwazQ

— Mark Prisk MP (@PriskMark) April 4, 2019

Resource extraction responsible for half world’s carbon emissions

Last month, 1.4 million people took part in the school climate strikes:

Children walked out of schools on Friday [15 March] in 2,233 cities and towns in 128 countries, with demonstrations held from Australia to India, the UK and the US, according to the Fridays for the Future website. Further strikes are planned for 12 April.

Last week, the World Meteorological Organization warned that the physical and financial impacts of global warming are accelerating:

According to the report, most of the natural hazards that affected nearly 62 million people in 2018 were associated with extreme weather and climate events.

Some 35 million people were hit by floods.

Hurricane Florence and Hurricane Michael were just two of 14 "billion dollar disasters" in 2018 in the US.

Super Typhoon Mangkhut affected 2.4 million people in and killed 134, mainly in the Philippines.

More than 1,600 deaths were linked to heat waves and wildfires in Europe, Japan and US.

Kerala in India suffered the heaviest rainfall and worst flooding in nearly a century.

In the face of this, there have been concerted efforts to make ecocide an international crime; making politicians and business leaders criminally liable for the harm they do to others. Currently:

There are no effective safeguards preventing a few powerful people, companies or states from wreaking havoc for the sake of profit or power. Though their actions may lead to the death of millions, they know they can’t be touched. Their impunity, as they engage in potential mass murder, reveals a gaping hole in international law.

Last week, for instance, the research group InfluenceMap reported that the world’s five biggest publicly listed oil and gas companies, led by BP and Shell, are spending nearly $200m a year on lobbying to delay efforts to prevent climate breakdown.

[The crime of ecocide] would force anyone contemplating large-scale vandalism to ask themselves, ‘Will I end up in the Hague for this?'

What has all this got to do with Aggregate Industries and parent company LafargeHolcim? According to a UN study, extractive industries are responsible for half of the world’s carbon emissions – and more than 80% of biodiversity loss:

Resources are being extracted from the planet three times faster than in 1970, even though the population has only doubled in that time, according to the Global Resources Outlook, which was released in Nairobi on Tuesday.

Since 1970, extraction of... minerals (particularly sand and gravel for concrete) have surged nearly fivefold from 9bn to 44bn tonnes

The authors said it was essential to decouple economic growth from material consumption. Without change, they said resource demand would more than double to 190bn tonnes a year, greenhouse gases would rise by 40% and demand for land would increase by 20%.

The authors called for "smarter urban planning to reduce the demand for concrete... a cyclical economy that re-uses more materials [and] a switch of taxation policies away from income and towards carbon and resource extraction."

Smarter urban planning? Not on LafargeHolcim's watch:

so u call these prison cells sustainable living/future????

— George P. Bassakos (@gbassakos) March 13, 2019

And what are AI and LafargeHolcim doing about carbon emissions? We've previously posted on this, most recently in LafargeHolcim named second worst company for increasing CO2 emissions.

What's AI's latest idea? On 1 April, AI announced a major milestone:

A major milestone! We’re the first #construction materials supplier to achieve #PAS2080 verification for reducing #infrastructure #carbonemissions 👏 Find out how we can help you to design lower carbon solutions https://t.co/7P71zi6WCZ #builtenvironment #sustainability pic.twitter.com/bTPBLpwdcp

— Aggregate Industries (@AggregateUK) April 1, 2019

What is PAS 2080 verification?

Following the Infrastructure Carbon Review in 2013 it was identified that infrastructure is responsible for over 50% of the UK’s carbon emissions therefore PAS 2080 was designed to specifically address the management of carbon in infrastructure.

It looks at the whole life cycle of the carbon used on projects and promotes reduced carbon, reduced cost infrastructure delivery and a culture of challenge in the infrastructure value chain where innovation can be fostered.

The BSI verification scheme supports clients in industry by assessing your delivery of projects to PAS 2080 requirements, your measurement and monitoring of carbon against the delivery of a project, and the management of your supply chain, or your role within it.

It helps you to: *Demonstrate your commitment to carbon reduction in the market place *Measure and monitor carbon reduction *Collaborate on projects across the supply chain *Gain a competitive edge when bidding for tenders

According to AI's Head of Sustainability:

With infrastructure still accounting for over half of the UK’s carbon emissions, creating a more sustainable, built environment requires strong leadership in carbon management, early supplier engagement and a real commitment across the value chain to reducing embodied carbon. We are proud to say Aggregate Industries is PAS 2080-verified and are ready to help the industry meet the carbon challenge.

But if helping the industry meet the carbon challenge still means plotting ridiculous and unsustainable multi-million mile haulage schemes – like the one planned for Straitgate – you question whether PAS 2080 isn't just another fig-leaf, another layer of greenwash to hide behind.

Mining giant Vale warns another tailings dam could collapse at any moment

In January, a mining tailings dam collapsed at Brumadinho in Brazil killing more than 300 people – we posted about it in Mining’s human cost, Mining operator ‘knew collapsed dam was at risk’ and Another mining disaster. Last month, the company responsible warned that another mining waste dam could collapse and hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes:

Brazilian mining giant Vale said Saturday [March 23] that communities in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais have been ordered to evacuate after independent auditors found that one of its dams could collapse at any moment.

On Friday, the company raised the level of risk at a mining waste dam in the city of Barao de Cocais to three, the highest grade. According to Brazil’s mining and energy secretary, level three means that “a rupture is imminent or already happening.”

The news comes nearly two months after another Vale-operated dam in the nearby city of Brumadinho collapsed, unleashing a wave of toxic mud that contaminated rivers and almost certainly killed about 300 people.

The contamination of rivers with mining waste, or tailings, which contain high levels of iron-ore and other metals is of great concern and can last for years or even decades, experts say. Small residues of iron oxide eventually fall at the bottom of the riverbed and are brought up to the surface each time it rains heavily.

Brazilian environmental group SOS Mata Atlantica said Friday it had proof of water contamination in the large Sao Francisco river as a result of the Brumadinho dam collapse. Hundreds of municipalities and larger cities such as Petrolina, 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) from Brumadinho, get drinking water from the Sao Francisco.

SOS Mata Atlantica was among the environmental groups that studied the impact of another dam rupture also in Minas Gerais in 2015. The accident killed 19 people and thousands of fish and left 250,000 people without drinking water. Three years later, experts say the water in the nearby Doce River is still unfit for consumption.

Last week, safety alerts were issued for three more dams. This week, the Wall Street Journal reported that safety inspectors had refused to guarantee the stability of many more.

Brazilian mining giant Vale says a total of four of its dams could collapse at any moment: https://t.co/aj2NsVzfbz via @YahooNews

— Bryan Harris (@bryanhimself) March 28, 2019

Brazilian villages evacuated after warnings of mine tailings dam collapse https://t.co/LldVqOeYLF #Brazil #mining #Vale

— Payal Sampat (@payalsampat) March 25, 2019

EDIT 7.4.19 Investors overseeing $80 trillion in assets pressure miners over tailings safety:

Ethical investors working on a global standard for tailings dams have written to 683 listed resource companies, including major miners, asking for information to be made public within 45 days about every facility they control.

"It is essential that investors can establish a clear line of sight on which company has which tailings facility and how that facility is being managed. The current disclosures from companies are largely inadequate," Adam Matthews, director of ethics and engagement for the Church of England Pensions Board, said in a statement.

Silverstone latest

We’ve previously posted about Aggregate Industries’ troubles at Silverstone, how the British MotoGP was cancelled last year when the company's track resurfacing work proved unfit for purpose, unable to cope with the English weather.

Now, according to Silverstone, "essential track maintenance" will be undertaken in June. It’s unclear who will be footing the bill, or whether AI’s "racing circuit experts" will be involved again.

Clearly the motorsport public have not yet forgotten the episode.

I've been told the advertising boards are made of sponges. In the event of rain, they just drop them on to the track.

— Booya (@Booya007) February 14, 2019

Aggregates Levy to be reviewed

We have previously posted about the Aggregates Levy, most recently that Aggregate producers persuade HM Treasury to review Aggregates Levy.

The government has now launched the review, and has published a discussion paper:

The Aggregates Levy ‘the levy’ is an environmental tax that was introduced in 2002 to reduce the extraction of fresh aggregate (rock, sand and gravel used as bulk fill in construction) and encourage recycling and use of by-products from other industrial processes. It has not been reviewed since its introduction, but following the conclusion of litigation on the legality of the levy in February this year, the government announced a comprehensive review of the levy, and confirmed its commitment to devolving the levy to the Scottish Parliament.

The government will consider all aspects of the Aggregates Levy, considering new and existing evidence on the impact of the levy (including its environmental impact), and the nature of the wider industry.

When considering possible changes to the Aggregates Levy, the government will bear in mind:

* the policy objectives in the light of the latest evidence on the environmental impacts of aggregates extraction, considering also the environmental impacts of other methods of aggregate production and of the extraction of other construction materials

The levy has historically brought in between £240 and £410 million of annual revenue.

What were the objectives of the levy? According to the discussion paper:

The levy was designed with various exemptions to encourage the use of less environmentally damaging sources of aggregate. The extraction of fresh aggregate can cause noise, dust, visual intrusion, loss of amenity and damage to biodiversity. When it was introduced, the objectives of the levy were described as being: to address, by taxation, the environmental costs associated with quarrying operations in line with the government’s statement of intent on environmental taxation at the time; to cut demand for virgin aggregates; and encourage the use of alternative materials where possible.

One of those exemptions was for secondary aggregates derived from china clay and ball clay waste. Hundreds of millions of tonnes of such material scar the Devon and Cornwall landscape.

The Mineral Products Association will have something to say about the Aggregates Levy; according to MPA CEO Nigel Jackson:

"A lot has changed since the Aggregates Levy came in," says Jackson, "the most obvious being the virtually maxed-out nature of recycling. Although we never accepted the link between the levy and recycling, it was more about the landfill tax. That was the real driver. Whatever the absolute causal link, recycling and use of secondary aggregates has increased dramatically from where we were in the late 1990s."

"Overall, the industry has moved forward enormously since then in its CSR [corporate social responsibility], sustainability and general environmental performance. Given that our members pay over 90% of the levy, we will be very actively involved in its review."

Jackson stresses that the mineral products industry is already paying its full whack on environmental taxes. "My challenge to government is, 'Tell me an industry that does not have environmental impacts where the externalities have not been internalised?' We are taxed on extraction, anything we put into a landfill, and we are taxed on our CO₂ output. We are at least triple taxed, but because carbon tax is complexed, we are probably quadruply taxed. We’ve also got the Apprenticeship Levy. You tell me another industry paying that many taxes?"

1000 blog posts – shows just how long the Straitgate pantomime has been running

The last post What part of ‘NO’ do quarry companies not understand? was the 1000th on this blog site – a site that first posted A blog for Straitgate back in 2012.

Little did we know then how long this debacle would go on for. Little did we know then what a pig’s ear Aggregate Industries would make of the whole process. Back then, we said:

We have set [the blog] up with the aim of keeping Straitgate Farm and its threat from quarrying in the public eye.

And in that sense, with readers far and wide, we continue to achieve that.

What part of ‘NO’ do quarry companies not understand?

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! 🎉
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 🙏🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💚 pic.twitter.com/4MfmoyACOw

— Maxine Ross (@Fluffy_LeMonde) February 18, 2019

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.

Humans take the lead in landscape evolution

Humans now have a greater effect on shaping the surface of the Earth than natural processes do, according to studies from the British Geological Survey and the University of Leicester:

In a study entitled ‘Humans are the most significant global geomorphological driving force of the 21st Century’ Dr Anthony Cooper and his co-authors estimate that 316 billion tonnes (about 150 cubic km) of sediment is currently created annually by humans through the excavation of minerals and modification of the landscape to develop expanding cities and infrastructure around the world. This is 24 times greater than the sediment shifted each year by all the world’s major rivers.

One hundred years’ worth of data on mineral, metal and cement production (and the waste materials these generate), plus construction, dredging and land reclamation estimates, have been studied and all reveal a dramatic increase in the amount of sediment created from the mid-20th century onwards as the world’s population has grown.

Who on Earth can be shifting all this material? #OnlyLafargeHolcimCan

Under the current contract, our teams will help transport an amount of soil equivalent to 6x the Burj Khalifa's weight.
Find out more about this larger than life project 👉 https://t.co/8vwIh9oKub #OnlyLafargeHolcimCan pic.twitter.com/rTeSvJGB8h

— LafargeHolcim (@LafargeHolcim) February 27, 2019

LafargeHolcim is the parent company of Aggregate Industries.

Yet another HGV crash on the B3174 Exeter Road

OtteryMatters

It was only last month that we posted Another lorry in the ditch outside Straitgate.

Today, yet another truck has ended up coming off the B3174 Exeter Road.

What could possibly go wrong with Aggregate Industries' plans for Straitgate Farm to put up to 200 HGV movements a day along this same stretch of road?

Traffic info Barrack Road Ottery St Mary will be closed shortly for recovery of a vehicle in a ditch please take care I will update you once this is cleared many thanks Trailer👮🏻‍♂️🚓 @DCP_RDOBURNETT please share 👍👍👍 pic.twitter.com/Nt1j2OQUsi

— Ottery St Mary Police (@otterypolice) 15 March 2019

#Devon Near Ottery St Mary Exeter Road is CLOSED between Birdcage Lane and Daisy Mount Cross due to an accident and fallen power cables. The road is likely to remain closed for some time as specialist recovery will be required. [PL]

— BBC Travel SouthWest (@BBCTravelSW) 15 March 2019

EDIT 16.3.19 According to local reports, the lorry came off the road when trying to pass another truck coming from the opposite direction. The main road into and out of Ottery was closed for some 5 hours as a result. Those familiar with this road will be aware that this type of accident happens all too frequently - many documented on this blog - a clear indication that the road is not suitable for AI’s plans.

The EA and ‘our precious groundwater resources’

Straitgate has occupied a disproportionate amount of the Environment Agency's time over the years – right back from when it was put forward for the Minerals Plan in 2012. At that time, the EA warned:

The importance and value of this area may be under-represented by the appraisal undertaken so far. When our groundwater team map the Source Protection Zones (SPZs) for all of the private water supplies in this area I expect that [Straitgate] will be an important part of their catchment areas.

Our policy on the protection of water resources from changes to aquifer conditions (see general comments below) will govern our response to this and every other site. The number of private water supplies suggests to me that this would be a difficult site to take forward. Similarly, if this area is shown to be a significant part of the catchment for the water features near Cadhay, its deliverability as a viable site would seem unlikely.

Cadhay's water features? Here's a photo of one of the mediaeval fishponds, integral to the setting of the Grade I Tudor manor house:

Only last month, in relation to Cadhay, we posted that Aggregate Industries' legal assurances for alternative water supplies were – according to one lawyer – "unfit for purpose".

What does the EA mean when it talks about SPZs? Here's the SPZ that the EA put in place at Straitgate in 2013 – across the area that AI wants to quarry – in an effort to protect Cadhay's water supplies:

Environment Agency

But it's not just Cadhay that has an SPZ. Many private water supplies rely on the groundwater at Straitgate for drinking water. As The Environment Agency’s approach to groundwater protection states, "all groundwater abstractions intended for human consumption or food production purposes have a default SPZ1".

For those unclear of the EA's responsibilities, the above document explains:

We are the Environment Agency. We protect and improve the environment and make it a better place for people and wildlife.

We operate at the place where environmental change has its greatest impact on people’s lives. We reduce the risks to people and properties from flooding; make sure there is enough water for people and wildlife; protect and improve air, land and water quality and apply the environmental standards within which industry can operate.

Acting to reduce climate change and helping people and wildlife adapt to its consequences are at the heart of all that we do.

We cannot do this alone. We work closely with a wide range of partners including government, business, local authorities, other agencies, civil society groups and the communities we serve.

The EA also tweets about "our precious groundwater resources". Here's a few relevant to Straitgate:

The ‘Water Cycle’ – Don’t forget that #Groundwater & #SurfaceWater are intrinsically linked & they both cannot exist without each other within the natural Water Cycle

Groundwater from our #aquifers provide essential #baseflows to our rivers enabling them to flow as watercourses pic.twitter.com/KsjR4xhWpz

— Geoscience EnvAgency (@GeoscienceEA) February 18, 2019

The #watertable is a fundamental reference point used by #hydrogeologists representing the top of the saturated zone in our #aquifers & seasonally fluctuates with infiltrating rainfall. It tends to mimic shape of the ground surface being deeper under hills & shallow under valleys pic.twitter.com/nqeGBOkJj9

— Geoscience EnvAgency (@GeoscienceEA) March 1, 2019

Ever dug down & come across a damp zone before digging deeper to find water? This is called the ‘capillary fringe’ & it sits above the #watertable Forms by capillary action as #groundwater seeps upwards. In fine grained rocks can be >10m & coarse sandstone no more than several cm pic.twitter.com/TIajGhIcUG

— Geoscience EnvAgency (@GeoscienceEA) March 5, 2019

Mining’s human cost

"The Brumadinho tailings dam catastrophe is an unwelcome reminder of the industry’s atrocious safety record", according to The FT’s Investors Chronicle article Vale disaster sends shockwaves beyond Brazil. We’ve already posted about this disaster here and here. Now, following pressure from prosecutors, Vale's CEO and other executives have resigned. As the BBC reports in the saddening article Looking for bodies, looking for answers:

A month on from the collapse, 171 people have been confirmed dead, but the recovery operation continues to search for the bodies of another 141 people - all reported missing by their families.

It’s a race against time. Very soon the bodies will begin to decompose fully, and the rescue dogs will be less effective.

As the IC points out:

History, Karl Marx once wrote, repeats itself "first as tragedy, the second time as farce". Perusing the global mining industry’s expressions of horror at last month’s Brumadinho tailings dam collapse, it is hard not to recall the line. Describing a disaster likely to have killed more than 300 people as “tragic” might carry more weight had the incident not arrived just 38 months after another of Vale’s Brazilian iron ore operations failed, again at huge human and environmental cost.

…. efforts to quantify tailings dam failures around the world appear to suggest that the deadliness, magnitude and even frequency of such disasters are getting worse

The magazine also points to worldminetailingsfailures.org, which supports research in tailing dam failures and has compiled data on such disasters over the last hundred years:

Our banner is an ever-looping image of the actual failure by static liquefaction of Vale’s Dam I at the [Brumadinho] Córrego do Feijão mine.... which ranks as the 6th worst in recorded history, based on data available as of February 6, 2019.

The data suggests a worsening trend. In fact:

Without major changes to law and regulation, and to industry practices, and without new technology that substantially reduces risk and increases loss control, our current prediction is for 19 Very Serious Failures between 2018 and 2027.

However, deaths from tailing dam collapses is just the tip of the iceberg of mining’s human cost. The BBC article The dangers of mining around the world reports:

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), while mining employs around 1% of the global labour force, it generates 8% of fatal accidents.

Although there are no accurate figures, estimates suggest [mining] accidents kill about 12,000 people a year.

Mining unions say many disasters go unreported:

It is a very dark industry

Brazil's Vale to pay $3,200 to residents to 'compensate' for dam burst that killed 300.
Half that for every teenager and 25% for every child.
Pitiful, in many senses of the word.https://t.co/0BViQGdG9K#Brumadinho #environmentaljustice

160 people have not yet been found... pic.twitter.com/PpxegAzwhP

— Doing Things Differently (@dtdchange) February 22, 2019

Concrete: ‘the most destructive material on Earth’

LafargeHolcim – parent company of Aggregate Industries – is the largest cement producer in the world.

Aggregate Industries is now a cement producer in its own right too, and loves the sight of concrete:

New year, new home? 🤔 What do you think of this strikingly-designed #concrete holiday home in Spain? https://t.co/5HLsSeK7LN via @dezeen pic.twitter.com/tiqUQoXFfo

— Aggregate Industries (@AggregateUK) December 26, 2018

Concrete chic 👏 We're loving these 3D printed #concrete benches created by Berlin-based designers Studio 7.5 and Parisian 3D #printing experts @XtreeE. What are your thoughts? https://t.co/BoaC5THxQP via @dezeen pic.twitter.com/f2WAJ3d2gO

— Aggregate Industries (@AggregateUK) November 29, 2018

We love the striking design of the minimalist #concrete blocks galleries set within the rolling landscape at @GlenstoneMuseum in Maryland. Check out @dezeen to learn more about the project 👉 https://t.co/mkT34rMvz6 pic.twitter.com/M0SNLSz66h

— Aggregate Industries (@AggregateUK) October 12, 2018

Arranged over four levels, with two hidden below ground, take a look at this stunningly designed #concrete house in The Netherlands 🇳🇱 https://t.co/KwsxzZ0Gkr via @dezeen pic.twitter.com/SoeMhxF5Hp

— Aggregate Industries (@AggregateUK) September 7, 2018

An architectural hug 🤔 Check out the curved #concrete walls of this residential property in Quito, #Ecuador https://t.co/yvxzvTuSaE via @dezeen pic.twitter.com/1YheBE7JpM

— Aggregate Industries (@AggregateUK) July 4, 2018

We love the striking, futuristic design of these hotel pods made from reinforced #concrete panels, currently proposed in a number of locations across the globe 😍 https://t.co/QN8HAII7bA via @dezeen pic.twitter.com/gOFexJ7GuF

— Aggregate Industries (@AggregateUK) June 8, 2018

Would you live in a house like this 😍 Take a look at the striking #concrete planes on this three-storey home just outside Guatemala City https://t.co/W9Bm4iZF7A via @dezeen pic.twitter.com/nVz43e5f05

— Aggregate Industries (@AggregateUK) April 20, 2018

The star of the show 👏 Comprising different-sized blocks and angular walls, we're loving the architectural design of this #concrete concert hall in the gulf of 🇲🇽 https://t.co/h1gelwVxUz via @dezeen pic.twitter.com/MHiwRLahrz

— Aggregate Industries (@AggregateUK) February 16, 2018

The problem for AI, and the rest of us, is that all this concrete comes at a price – an environmental price. The Guardian recently ran a series of articles – Guardian Concrete Week – warning us of "the shocking impact of concrete on the modern world":

Concrete: the most destructive material on Earth https://t.co/0SFrpwxKek

— Guardian Environment (@guardianeco) February 25, 2019

We spent this week pointing out the many ways in which concrete damages the planet. The industry's response? "We're wholly disappointed" https://t.co/xVLZpDupJu #GuardianConcreteWeek @guardiancities

— Chris Michael (@chrismichaelgdn) March 1, 2019

Given that the production of every tonne of cement (a key component of concrete) releases a tonne of CO2, it's hardly surprising that:

Nearly 6% of all UK greenhouse gas emissions, and up to 8% of the world’s, are now sourced from cement production.

Fun concrete fact. And yes, I'm a hit at parties #GuardianConcreteWeek pic.twitter.com/X6s335k1jK

— Chris Michael (@chrismichaelgdn) February 27, 2019

Concrete is tipping us into climate catastrophe. It's payback time, writes John Vidal https://t.co/aip0HRagdm #GuardianConcreteWeek

— Guardian Cities (@guardiancities) February 25, 2019

Industry leaders are now embarrassed, aware that they are in danger of being financially penalised and tarred as climate laggards who refuse to change in the face of the climate emergency. They well know that not only is it quite possible to build most structures safely without cement, but their own research has shown that green, cement-like products using recycled byproducts which are just as strong can be made from other industries, such as steel slag, fly ash from coal-fired facilities or some types of clay. Instead they trust that nascent technologies like carbon capture and storage which could allow emissions to be buried will come on stream, and that more efficient plant will reduce cement emissions by as much as 20-25%...

But technological change will not alone drive cement emissions down fast enough. What is needed to speed up cuts is a global cement, or concrete tax. Only if the whole industry is forced to pay far more for the emissions of its product will companies shift to cleaner practices.

Apart from a cement or concrete tax, another article suggests what else can be done to reduce the destructive impact of concrete. Fortunately, new materials are also emerging – including cross-laminated timber to construct 'plyscrapers':

This material is lightweight but as strong as concrete and steel, and construction experts say it can be more versatile and faster to work with than concrete and steel – and even, it seems, quieter.

Pressure may also come from institutional investors:

This week, a group of institutional investors coordinated by ShareAction, with over $1tn of assets under management, sent letters to company CEOs, including two large concrete firms, to ask them to set emissions targets in line with the Paris climate agreement.

Instead of just asking for disclosure of climate risks, these investors are asking for hard targets, and to sign up to a number of initiatives related to renewable electricity, energy productivity and electric vehicles.

The cement firms contacted include... LafargeHolcim (Switzerland).

According to ShareAction:

Cement has been on our radar for a while now. It was a priority sector agreed with the investor group because it is one of the most carbon-intensive industries.

Another problem with concrete:

The most severe, but least understood, impact of concrete is that it destroys natural infrastructure without replacing the ecological functions that humanity depends on for fertilisation, pollination, flood control, oxygen production and water purification.

As Jonathan Watts writes, our concrete slabs “entomb vast tracts of fertile soil, constipate rivers, choke habitats and – acting as a rock-hard second skin – desensitise us from what is happening outside our urban fortresses”.

He makes a powerful case for how concrete transforms a culture (a civilisation intertwined with nature) into an economy (a production unit obsessed by GDP statistics, which politicians can inflate for personal gain … simply by pouring more concrete).

Concrete-hungry HS2 and Hinckley are two obvious examples in the UK.

What does LafargeHolcim say? According to the company's US CEO:

As this industry is responsible for having such a large impact on our world, LafargeHolcim is always focused on making sure that the products and services that we provide are sustainable for the future.

We must transform the way we operate to become more innovative and mindful of the use of resources and our impact on the environment.

If the unsustainable 2.5 million mile haulage plan for Straitgate is an example of LafargeHolcim transforming the way we operate – we're all in trouble.

Concrete is tipping us into climate catastrophe. It's payback time.

Straitgate determination date extended for 7th time

Last month, we posted Who’d have thought it? Decision on Straitgate application delayed again.

We asked:

What on earth can be causing the company so many problems?

AI's application has now been lifeless for 18 months. It’s about time AI put up or shut up.

So, what do we get? More delay. More can kicking.

Devon County Council has agreed yet another extension with Aggregate Industries for the period for determination of its Straitgate application - the seventh - this time from 31 March to 28 June 2019.

What has been achieved since the last extension, or the one before, or before that?

Who knows? DCC is still awaiting information it requested from AI some 18 months ago.

And so the farce goes on.

Some of AI’s drivers clearly have an issue with road safety laws

It wasn't many days ago that we posted about HGVs, and how Aggregate Industries urges the construction industry to drive forward road safety:

At Aggregate Industries, for example, we operate an incredibly robust approach to the enrolment of our 1,000-plus franchisee drivers… blah blah blah

With traffic levels on Britain’s roads reaching record levels, and HGV traffic identified as the second fastest growing traffic type in recent years, we're calling for more to be done to drive road safety forward in #construction 🚛 https://t.co/M0YmF5e4Jy pic.twitter.com/jhW5Z4Uv5m

— Aggregate Industries (@AggregateUK) January 29, 2019

Given that HGVs in the wrong hands, or hands containing mobile devices, are lethal weapons – as in the case of the Newbury A34 tragedy in 2016 – perhaps the company should look closer to home first. The RAC warns us that:

Using a handheld mobile phone while behind the wheel of a car is a controversial and incredibly dangerous issue…

The law is clear on when you can use a hand-held device behind the wheel. It is only legal if you are safely parked – and this does not include waiting in traffic or when sat at the traffic lights.

Contrary to what many drivers seem to think, the law still applies when your vehicle is stopped at lights or in a traffic queue. If your engine is running, your phone should be nowhere near your hands.

The AI driver below obviously thinks he’s above the law. Fortunately, however, he was caught on camera, and the film has been shared widely on social media:

Hi @AggregateUK - here’s your driver tapping away on his iPad, creeping over the Advance Stop Line. WU18FLC . This how HGVs kill people. @MetCycleCops pic.twitter.com/kZpUQ3UuQ1

— RossiBike (@RossiTheBossi) March 4, 2019

But it’s not an isolated incident – despite the incredibly robust approach to enrolment AI has for its drivers. We have previously posted examples; here are a few more:

@AggregateUK please have a word with your driver no hands on the wheel whilst texting on motorway. M25 near junction 11 #roadsafety pic.twitter.com/ESZtNa2pcW

— Liz Ismail (@smilelizzy) July 28, 2018

@AggregateUK how do you support your drivers so that they don't need to read paperwork whilst driving? The 'blind spot' your warning signs mention will be massive if the driver isn't looking at the road. I'd like to arrive alive.#Aisafetynudge pic.twitter.com/8bLzN4d65e

— Bridget Walton (@BiddyBike) February 5, 2018

@AggregateUK Is this how you expect your drivers to behave around vulnerable road users? pic.twitter.com/oZ3wgJxO0v

— Bicycle-Riding Motorist (@MrHappyCyclist) January 30, 2018

@AggregateUK nice of your driver in the middle lane of the m60 just now using his forearms to drive in the middle lane because he's on his phone!

— Nathaniel Banks (@nathaniel2510) August 28, 2018

@AggregateUK the driver of YJ66 VTD needs alerting that his indicators don't work and he really shouldn't be on the phone whilst driving...

— c (@staircasewxt) July 27, 2017

@AggregateUK fecking loonatics! Lovely weather to drive these trucks like loonies! Don’t worry about red lights! They’re clearly just for other people! 😡🤬 pic.twitter.com/xnxjzCfiu5

— Marc Jacka (@Jaffa13377) November 27, 2018

@AggregateUK This idiot was not only driving and texting, he was doing so, as kids were leaving a school. #perfectstorm pic.twitter.com/r0HlaXErmm

— highhopesbest (@highhopesbest) October 14, 2016

It’s all very concerning.

So when the MPA – the trade association that represents AI and others – talks about a new vision, a vision supposedly aimed at:

Driving Change, Raising Standards and Improving Perceptions

perhaps that vision needs to be repurposed:

Driving must Change, to Raise Standards and Improve Perceptions

East Devon roads are most dangerous in county

More and more people are being killed or seriously injured on Devon's roads, reports DevonLive:

In 2017, there were 31 deaths and 384 serious injuries from collisions in the county of Devon... In 2013, the figures were 16 and 293 respectively.

Of those [in 2017], 84 were in East Devon, 46 in Exeter, 31 in Mid Devon, 58 in North Devon, 45 in the South Hams, 64 in Teignbridge, 32 in Torridge and 55 in West Devon.

Over the last five years, East Devon has seen the most KSI [killed or serious injured] collisions with 351, while Torridge has seen the least, with 149.

Devon's roads are not to blame, according to Cllr Jerry Brook:

No road is unsafe, just the people that are on it, and it is not the roads that are unsafe but the way that people drive. Most of us have to put up with the idiots that misbehave on the roads.

Nevertheless, in 2017 we posted Why are Devon’s highways so dangerous? We pointed to the Road Safety Foundation ranking all 78 counties by road safety improvement since 2010:

We posted:

Why is Devon doing so poorly?

Perhaps DCC’s relaxed attitude to Aggregate Industries’ Straitgate Farm plans to put up to 200 HGVs a day onto a dangerous B road, for an onward 46-mile round trip, gives you a clue?

Or perhaps, by Cllr Brook's reasoning, Devon just has more idiots on the road.

If this is how much politicians care about climate change...

Parliament is debating climate change for the first time in two years…

…and I count just 10 government MPs in the chamberhttps://t.co/Gcf6o5Xlhh pic.twitter.com/uCYlJELAP5

— Simon Evans (@DrSimEvans) February 28, 2019

... no wonder school children across the world are on strike.

As MP Zac Goldsmith puts it:

If you look at the trends, we are not heading for that apocalyptic 2 degree rise, we are heading something that looks more like 3 degrees, the consequences of which we cannot possibly estimate.

... the idea of children missing a few hours of geometry or PE to wake our political system up is somehow the wrong thing to do just seems ... absurd.

LAA

Two weeks ago, we posted about Local Aggregate Assessments. The LAA is a requirement of the NPPF. We pointed out that DCC’s last LAA was for the period to 31 December 2016, published July 2017.

The LAA will continue to be published annually to inform development and monitoring of Minerals/Local Plans, including recent sales and revisions to levels of reserves and the length of landbanks.

Readers with an interest in such matters will no doubt be relieved to learn that DCC has just published its 7th Devon Local Aggregate Assessment for the period to 31 December 2017.