Campaigners fear impact of quarry extension plan

James Murtagh, from the Stop Mountsorrel Quarry Expansion, said ancient woodland would be lost

Campaigners have raised concerns about the environmental impact of plans to enlarge a quarry in Leicestershire.

Aggregates firm Tarmac wants to extend Mountsorrel Quarry and run it for 18 years beyond its current operations, which are due to finish in 2040.

The Stop Mountsorrel Quarry Expansion group said the move would be a disaster for wildlife and lead to the loss of parts of the nearby Buddon Wood and the Swithland Reservoir Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Tarmac said the expansion was essential to provide strategic building material and its plan would mitigate the loss of woodland with a new habitat creation scheme.

A planning application for the scheme is being considered by Leicestershire County Council.

James Murtagh, from the campaign group, said: "Buddon Wood has virtually all been destroyed.

"If this quarry is allowed to expand this will all go, which has been described as the wildlife disaster of the century.

"The new plan isn't near the village - it's in the village."

Mr Murtagh claimed the local environment had been "devastated" by the quarry, citing issues with noise, dust and the impact on people's health from dust.

The red line is the proposed boundary of the extended quarry site

More than 2,000 people have signed a petition against the scheme, which would see the existing nearby stretch of Wood Lane, linking Rothley and Quorn, re-routed.

Objections have also been raised by Natural England, which said: "The extension will destroy features of Buddon Wood and Swithland Reservoir Site of Special Scientific Interest.

"The proposed Northern Extension would cause the direct and unqualified loss of both sites."

The Woodland Trust also opposes the plan and said: "The proposals would adversely affect the irreplaceable habitats of ancient woodland and veteran trees."

Tarmac said the site was one of the most monitored quarries in the UK

A spokesperson for Tarmac said: "Our proposals would mean some woodland within Buddon Wood and Swithland Reservoir SSSI would be lost, but we have included proposals to mitigate the impact through a long-term programme of habitat creation, enhancement and management to ensure the quarry continues to deliver benefits, balancing the needs of society and wildlife."

"The pink granite at Mountsorrel is of strategic importance and can only be extracted where it is found.

"Our job is to ensure that we find the balance between delivering a consistent supply of this important mineral with our duty of environmental stewardship.

The spokesperson added: "We have extensive measures in place to control dust and protect air quality as part of our dust management and monitoring plan that is regularly reviewed by the local authority and environmental regulator.

"In fact, Mountsorrel Quarry is one of the most monitored quarries in the UK."

The county council has requested more details on controversial plans to extend the life and size of a quarry.

"We are expecting the submission of additional information this autumn," a spokesperson said.

"Once we have received this information, further consultation will take place."