NEWBURGH PARISH COUNCIL
B. Howard, Clerk of the Council.
Avilion, Hillock Lane, Dalton, Wigan. WN8 7RJ
Tel 01257 462423

March 2010

Newburgh Parish Council response to Planning Application Number 08/10/024

Newburgh Parish Council supports the infilling and restoration operations of Round O Quarry.

We objected to the earlier application for an extension to the Aggregate Recycling Facility (08/09/1141) on the grounds of the worsening and detrimental environmental effects on Newburgh of ten more years of HGV movements through the village.  This application does not alleviate our concerns about the continuing impact of HGVs.  We therefore object to the application.

We further question the 2020 timescale of this application in the light of the proposal in the LCC Consultation on Possible Minerals and Waste Sites Allocations and Development Management Policies that time extensions on existing waste sites should be restricted to 2015.

Environmental impact

The application states that the only impact will be the continuation of operations over  a longer period and that there will be no new or significant environmental effects.  We contend that the very continuation of operations itself represents a significant environmental effect. There will be a continuing detrimental impact from noise, pollution, building vibration and pedestrian danger. Material impact by reason of traffic will not be eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels (see 6.53).

Newburgh Parish Council recognises that, unlike the previous application, this application does address HGV routing.  However, we challenge the arguments made on volumes passing through the village. 

The application claims that traffic associated with the quarry’s operations “represents only a small proportion of the total HGV traffic” which passes through Newburgh. 

It is true that the A5209 through the centre of the village carries much HGV traffic of which Round O traffic is a part.  However, a major part of the route to and from the quarry is Cobb’s Brow Lane, an unclassified road which passes close to residents’ houses, has on-road parking, blind and sharp bends and high hedges that make passage of traffic difficult. This is not part of a major HGV route but is used by all quarry lorries travelling north.  We believe that quarry HGVs will therefore constitute the major proportion of total overall traffic along this road. Moreover if lorry movements reached the levels allowed by this application *, it is likely that the proportion of quarry HGVs along the A5209 would also not be “a small proportion of the total”.

The applicant states they are “conscious of the contribution (to HGV traffic) that the site’s operation makes ” and “will use their best endeavours to reduce the number of vehicles travelling to or from the north”.  We welcome their recognition that the problem is real and, as we have argued on the earlier application, the solution is for all HGVs to enter and exit the site from the south west ie from the M58 direction, thereby eliminating all environmental impacts on the village.

We request therefore that this is made a condition of this application and of application 08/09/1141.

Timescale of extension

We have referred to the LCC document Consultation on Possible Minerals and Waste Sites Allocations and Development Management Policies – Managing our Waste and Natural Resources January 2010

This consultation proposes adoption of Option ALC 3 which says no new landfill sites will be allocated but “where a site continues to have the capacity to take waste and is required to meet short term needs, then time extensions …….should be allowed up to 2015”.

We would argue that if any time extension is allowed for Round O Quarry, this should be consistent with the 2015 proposal made in this consultation.

We therefore request that any permissions for Round O Quarry are limited to five years.  This would also provide opportunity for further review.

*If permission is granted, 200 vehicles a day will be allowed to enter and exit the quarry – or 400 lorry movements a day. If only half of these are through Newburgh, there would be a lorry every three minutes if full capacity were being worked