Conservation site approved for former quarry

It could take 14 years to turn Clockhouse Quarry into a nature reserve

A former quarry in Surrey is to be converted into a nature conservation site, a council has said.

Plans for Clockhouse Quarry in Capel, near Dorking, could take at least 14 years to complete.

Officers from Surrey Council Council have granted planning permission to utility company Suez.

The firm will now begin importing around 740,000 cubic metres of inert material, such as soil, from nearby construction projects to create the site.

It will bring an end to the industrialisation of the land that has stretched back to 1947, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Gerry Cavanagh, regional manager at Suez, said: "We look forward to delivering all the excellent enhancements for local wildlife and keeping the community updated on our activity as we look to the months ahead."

The company said it wanted to "reduce the size and depth" of man-made reservoirs to "minimise both health and safety risks associated with unauthorised access, as well as bird strikes for aeroplanes approaching or taking off from Gatwick Airport".

It said the plans should help native great-crested newts and other flora and fauna.

The first decade of the project will see large swathes of the site refilled before a potential two-year pause to allow habitats to establish.

This would be followed by another two years of work, ensuring water can drain freely from the restored land.

Construction is expected to start in 2026.