Residents of a village near Northampton have been left “extremely disappointed” as plans to turn farmland the size of 53 football pitches into a quarry have been approved on appeal.

Proposals to turn 38 hectares of farmland near Upper Heyford into a quarry have been approved on appeal – despite strong opposition from local residents and parish councils.

The government’s Planning Inspectorate recently overturned West Northamptonshire Council’s (WNC) refusal, granting permission to Mick George Ltd to extract sand and gravel from land just off junction 16 of the M1. Work is expected to take place over six years, processing an estimated 1.15 million tonnes of material on-site.

Upper Heyford Meeting and Nether Heyford Parish Council said they were “extremely disappointed” with the outcome.

Plans for the quarrying site in covered a large field between Upper Heyford, Nether Heyford and Bugbrooke Meadows. It is bounded by the M1 to the north and the River Nene to the south. Credit: Google

placeholder image — Plans for the quarrying site in covered a large field between Upper Heyford, Nether Heyford and Bugbrooke Meadows. It is bounded by the M1 to the north and the River Nene to the south. Credit: Google

In a joint statement they said: “We are extremely disappointed at the outcome, despite not being surprised. This has been an allocated site on the county mineral plan for over two decades, and as such, this site carries a presumption of approval unless significant reasons can be shown to the contrary.

“Historic refusals have been based on highways issues as the site access came directly onto a busy A road, which was deemed unacceptable for the volume of heavy lorries. With the advent of the Flore bypass and the new roundabout that issue has been removed.”

The councils said the decision in June 2024 by WNC’s strategic planning committee to reject the quarry was based on the potential harms to immediate residents and the local environment, “based on substantive evidence gathered by volunteers’ research and well-founded arguments”.

They added: “At the hearing, Upper Heyford Meeting and Nether Heyford Parish Council engaged a specialist barrister to help object to the appeal on a number of fronts. A number of local residents also spoke against the appeal, for which we thank them. However, without the support of the local planning authority this was always going to be an uphill struggle.”

The inspector’s report sets out conditions to mitigate potential harms, including measures that must be met before work can begin. A liaison group of local representatives, the council and the developer is also expected to be established.

The parish councils said their “focus now is to ensure that all conditions are adhered to and that any potential harms are minimised throughout the life of the project.”

The site sits between Upper Heyford, Nether Heyford and Bugbrooke Meadows, bounded by the M1 to the north and the River Nene to the south. The nearest homes are just 250 metres from the edge of the development.

Concerns have long been raised over dust, noise, traffic and health impacts. In May 2024, almost 70 people objected when the plans went before WNC, with councillors ultimately refusing the application against the advice of planning officers.

At the time, Councillor Tony Williams from Nether Heyford Parish Council warned: “This site is very close to residential dwellings and as such the impact on amenity should be limited as much as possible. In the village, we’ve got a lot of children and people are very worried about the potential health impacts.”

Mick George Ltd has previously said it was aware of concerns but insisted the site would be run “to the highest standards” under strict planning conditions.