Quarry plan approval overturned by High Court

Plans for the quarry in Suffolk were approved in March before a judicial review was sought

Approval for a new quarry has been quashed after a judicial review at the High Court.

Suffolk County Council had approved plans for a 36-hectare (89 acres) quarry on the east side of the A12 at Brockley Wood, near Ipswich and the village of Bentley.

A group of residents and parish councils in Bentley, Copdock and Washbrook claimed the authority failed to undertake considerations in a number of areas.

The High Court overturned the county council's approval because the site is considered a valued landscape.

Planning permission had been granted in March for the extraction, processing and sale of sand and gravel, as well as the processing of waste at Brockley Wood.

Bentley Parish Council said all work at the site should now stop.

A Suffolk County Council spokesperson said it agreed more evidence was required, including consideration of the valued landscape assessment.

"Therefore, the authority agreed to no longer contest this claim," a spokesperson said.

"The applicant has the opportunity to provide a review of how the policy and assessment should be considered.

"When this is received, there will be a further round of public consultation before the committee reconsiders the application later this year," the authority added.

Bentley Parish Council said it would "continue to hold Suffolk County Council to account" for the way in which the process was conducted.