Cotswold quarry seeks expansion agreement

A decision on the screening opinion request is expected this month

Monthly explosions may be a regular feature for residents near a Cotswold stone quarry as it looks to expand its mining.

Johnston Quarry Group is planning to continue mining the Three Gates Quarry in Temple Guiting near Winchcombe, Gloucestershire.

They want to mine a 400,000-tonne limestone reserve.

This is to produce walling, building and block stone along with aggregate and agricultural lime.

Three Gates Quarry is a limestone quarry working strata from the Birdlip Formation of the Middle Jurassic period.

Mineral extraction has taken place there for more than a century.

Johnston Quarry Group bought the freehold from Breedon some years ago and then separately acquired the leasehold in early 2022.

The company has approached Gloucestershire County Council for on opinion on whether the development should be subject to an environmental impact assessment.

A new weighbridge and site offices will be erected near the site entrance if proposals get the go-ahead

The firm said it will focus on maximising higher value products such as walling stone, building stone and block stone.

Production of aggregate and agricultural lime will assist both operationally and to make the most of the limestone reserve, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

The quarry boundary will not be widened but instead the working will be made deeper.

The primary method of extraction for the site will be by an excavator, although blasting will take place if necessary.

However, the company said no more than one instance of blasting is expected per month, if required, according to the planning documents.

Blasting shatters the rock making it unsuitable for natural stone products, which is the main emphasis of production at Three Gates.

The company said it would only be used if the need arises and in compliance with regulations. No explosives will be stored at the site.

On-site processing operations will be limited to stone cropping and crushing of material unsuitable for natural stone products but suitable for aggregate and agricultural lime.

A decision on the screening opinion request is expected this month.