Quarry plan approved after delays and challenges

The site for the new quarry near Bentley. It is made up of multiple green fields, with some trees dotted throughout them.Image source, Bentley Parish Council
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Councillors voted to allow planning permission for a new quarry near Ipswich

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Plans for a new quarry that attracted 263 objections have been backed by a council.

Suffolk County Council discussed plans to build a 36-hectare (89-acre) quarry on land at Brockley Wood, just off the A12 near Belstead, on Tuesday.

The plans had previously been approved last year, but were subject to a successful legal challenge and resubmitted.

A decision on the re-submitted plans had been delayed to allow for extra consultation, after part of the site was designated as a conservation area. However, they were ultimately given planning permission.

The quarry was proposed alongside a waste screening and crushing plant.

Across the lifetime of the application there were 263 objections raised, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Concerns included impacts on the landscape, noise and traffic.

Representatives from parish councils in Bentley and Copdock and Washbrook said the quarry would be totally inappropriate, unenforceable, and had been mismanaged and misconceived from the start.

Thomas Hill KC, a barrister, said the community had been left horrified and called for the crushing plant to be completely removed.

An aerial view of where the proposed quarry would be. Fields can be seen with the A12 running through them.Image source, Google
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The quarry, once established, would be on the east of the A12

Neil Ward, of NWA Planning, addressed concerns on behalf of the applicant by saying the proposals would secure 50 long-term jobs in the area and be a major contributor to the county's aggregate needs.

He stressed the development was in the ideal location to limit lorry traffic and environmental impacts.

Addressing calls for the crushing plant to be removed, Mr Ward said having waste management facilities at mineral sites was needed to minimise traffic movements.

A new conservation area was established by Babergh District Council in April and meant the developer had to consider extra planning considerations and mitigations.

After analysing new information submitted by Brockley Wood Ventures, which included an extra heritage assessment and updates to the environmental statement and traffic assessment, officers still felt the benefits outweighed the potential harm.

The final vote was to grant planning permission, with eight votes for and three against.

As a compromise, councillors agreed to include a condition limiting the operation of the crushing plant to between 08:00 and 16:00, Monday to Friday.

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