Kent quarry will destroy rare ancient woods - charity

Ancient woodland in England is land that has been continuous woodland since 1600

Plans to extend a quarry in Kent could destroy more ancient woodland than HS2 and the Lower Thames Crossing combined, the Woodland Trust has said.

Kent County Council's minerals plan includes a proposal to extend a quarry into Maidstone's Oaken Wood for the Kentish Ragstone that lies underneath.

Quarry owner Gallagher Aggregates said ancient soil would be kept and indigenous trees would remain.

The council said no decisions had been made and consultation ended on Tuesday.

The Woodland Trust said rare ancient woodland now covered just 2.5% of the UK and "once gone, it is lost forever".

Amid claims that the plan could see at least 50 hectares of ancient Oaken Wood lost, the charity said the site was home to protected species including rare bats, birds such as nightjar, insects including green tiger beetle and dormice.

The Woodland Trust said ancient woodland now covered just 2.5% of the UK

Jack Taylor, who has launched the trust's campaign against the plan, said it would have huge effects on wildlife and destroy a vital carbon store.

"We're in the grip of a climate crisis and facing widespread biodiversity loss, so it's imperative that we oppose the destruction of such a significant amount of irreplaceable ancient woodland," he added.

He said it was hard to think of a more inappropriate place for a new quarry and another location must be found.

A council spokesman said the authority undertook a "call for sites" and a site adjacent to Hermitage Quarry was put forward and was being consulted on.

"This is an evidence-gathering stage," he said. "No decisions have been made in respect of whether the site will be allocated within our plans and we would encourage people to share their views through our public consultation by 25 July."

Lance Taylor, chief executive officer of Gallagher Aggregates, which runs Hermitage Quarry, said the company had quarried Kentish Ragstone there for 30 years and the county needed ragstone for its historic buildings.

He said the company wanted to continue its operations which included being a good neighbour and providing jobs and local employment.

He said: "Yes, there is some woodland. It's all plantation. It's on ancient designated woodland soil.

"We keep those soils. We relocate those soils. We replant those soils and then we leave indigenous trees behind."

Ancient woodland in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is land that has been woodland since 1600. In Scotland, it is land that has been woodland since 1750.

A previous plan to expand the quarry was approved in 2013.

The charity warned of huge effects on wildlife and the destruction of a vital carbon store

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