Warwickshire quarry owner given nine months to clear site and submit restoration plans

The owner of a Warwickshire quarry has been given an extra nine months to clear the site and submit plans for a restoration scheme.
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But the councillor whose area includes the site in Edgehill, on the Warwickshire/Oxfordshire border, fears the timescale might not be long enough.

The application for Edgehill Quarry was made to this week’s [TUE] regulatory committee of Warwickshire County Council.

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Applicant Andrew Baughan explained that the extra time was needed so that the stockpiles of waste material taken from the quarry could be processed before the land could be restored.

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A report to councillors explained: “Screening and processing of the overburden stockpiles has taken longer than initially thought with greater quantities of useable stone recovered than originally envisaged.

“The recovered material is being graded into a range of products, ranging from stone suitable for the construction of walls to crushed stone of various grades for use as ballast within the construction industry.

"The overburden is processed on site using a mobile screener.”

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Cllr Chris Wiliams (Con Kineton and Red Horse) expressed his concern by saying: “This is on my ward and we are talking about a one-man band here.

“Stratford [District Council] already has conditions in place which have been broken regularly and I’m just worried that it will require enforcement - I don’t believe he will be able to come up with a restoration scheme, it’s not in his ability to do that sort of thing.”

But senior planning officer Matthew Williams said discussions had been ongoing.

He explained: “We have had discussions with the applicant and a planning consultant who he has engaged to prepare a future planning application [for the restoration].

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"I have spoken to the planning consultant in the last two weeks and he tells me he is nearing the stage where an application can be submitted and I can only take him at his word.

“If we don’t see a restoration scheme come in then yes we will be looking at enforcement action.”