Nether Heyford parish councillor raises environmental and health concerns at public meeting about sand and gravel extraction

A public meeting at Nether Heyford was organised by the Parish Council on Thursday October 6 to gather opinions on the planning application for the extraction of sand and gravel from the surrounding area and to decide a way forward.

The meeting was attended by Upper Heyford Parish Councillors, Councillor Adam Brown from West Northamptonshire Council and Ward Councillor of the area, and residents who wanted to discuss the issues concerning the application.

John Gough planning director from Mick George, the company making the application, answered a number of resident’s questions ahead of the meeting by email, which were read out to the meeting. There were a number of objections to the replies given by Mick George, where it was felt the company had not fully addressed the impact this project would have.

One resident said: “The Dust Action Plan has not been applied correctly by the company. There should have been a baseline assessment produced, but there is nothing to say this has been done in their answers. This will have a serious impact on our health where we are already living with traffic pollution from the M1. Our health should be the main objection here.”

Another resident added: “Mick George has said there will be controlled operational hours, but if you check the application, this says their processing plant will be running until 10pm. They haven’t addressed the impact this will have on the noise pollution alone.”

It was noted at the meeting that this application had already been made in 2004, where it was refused by the county council on a number of grounds. The documents that were produced for this application were discussed and it was felt that these would be useful to further support the concerns of residents, to show that the grounds of refusal last time still stand.

Graham Smith who was on the Parish Council at the time of the previous application said: “This would have been a destruction of our environment then and it will be destruction of our environment now. Nothing has changed, apart from access with the Flore bypass. All of the other issues remain. We don’t disagree with the excavation of sand and gravel, but it shouldn’t be close to a community where there is already an impact on the health of residents and its environment. ”

One resident added: “We know more about our environment now than in 2004 and it was refused then. We should be doing everything we can to protect what we have, not destroy it, more now than ever with what we have learned. You can’t buy biodiversity or ecosystems when you dig them up. The land will never recover and will never be the same.”

Another resident added: “The site at Kislingbury where a similar excavation occurred is a baron piece of land now, that nothing will grow on. The Flore bypass is the same, they planted some trees to make up for the impact on our area, but they are all dead.”

It was noted that the Bugbrooke Meadows in close proximity, is listed as a Special Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI), which would be impacted if the application is approved. The two hectare reserve is known for a number of less common water plants and visiting birds which is fed by a dual water source from the River Nene and a number of residents were concerned that this water source would be interrupted should the extraction of the sand and gravel in the nearby area go ahead.

Mr Gough addressed the questions from residents within the email and said: “The proposed quarry at Upper Heyford is allocated within the adopted Minerals and Waste Local plan as a site suitable for mineral extraction.”

He added: “The application is accompanied by an environmental statement consisting of application drawings and technical reports of specialist consultants to address a range of issues including landscape and visual impacts, soils, noise, traffic, ecology, hydrology, flood risk, archaeology and heritage.

"The site will be worked sequentially over an envisaged eight year time frame, to ensure that only a limited sector of the site is disturbed at any time such that a majority of the site will remain in productive agricultural use or in aftercare throughout the project’s life."

Following the discussions, Councillor Tony Williams from Nether Heyford Parish Council said: “This excavation will have a significant impact on our environment and we will be objecting to the application. We have been told the deadline for responses has been extended and we will be submitting our objection immediately.”

The meeting concluded that residents should write individually on the council’s planning website page and fill in the online form to object on the points made. These would be based on the environmental impact, planning laws and previous decisions, noise, smells, disturbance, impact on trees and the SSSI site in close proximity and the public open space.

Cllr Brown reported he will be calling in the application to the Planning Policy Committee, where there will be a chance for the Parish Councils in the area and representative to attend a meeting to provide a full report on their objection.

Details of the planning application can be found on the West Northamptonshire Council website: Application number WNC/22/00035/MINFUL.