Woodeaton Quarry reopening plans criticised

Plans to reopen an old quarry near Oxford have been met with criticism.

A committee set up by the Conservative-run Oxfordshire County Council approved McKenna Plant Hire dumping construction waste in Woodeaton Quarry.

But objectors have raised fears about the young and the elderly along the route, which would see about 20 lorry journeys daily for the next 10 years.

McKenna said the worries about extra traffic were "unfounded" and that disruption would be "minimal".

The route will run from the Headington roundabout through the Barton housing estate.

It also passes along the Bayswater Road, on to the B4027, and through Beckley and Stowood.

'Sensitive to noise'

Van Coulter, Labour city councillor for Barton and Sandhills, said he was worried for the vulnerable residents of Townsend House, situated on Bayswater Road.

"These are very, very ill people, and to have 20 heavy goods vehicles each and every day for the next 10 years using Bayswater Road and the Green Road roundabout is going to cause a lot of problems."

Anne Purse, Liberal Democrat councillor for Beckley, said quarrying could endanger the children of Woodeaton Manor School, which consists of pupils with emotional and social difficulties.

She said: "The children are amongst the most seriously affected with autism in the whole county and are sensitive to noise."

Oxford's Lord Mayor, Green councillor Elise Benjamin, said: "The county should be following the example of other local authorities and require developers to recycle their waste instead of simply dumping it."

None of the Conservative members on the committee were available for comment.

McKenna, which runs various landfill sites and recycling centres across Oxfordshire, wants to use the quarry for tipping away "inert" clay and sand from building sites.

It proposes to operate between 07:00 and 18:00 on weekdays and until 13:00 on Saturdays.