Prudham Quarry near Hexham shut for decades set to reopen

The proposed quarry site, close to the village of Fourstones, near Hexham, pictured in 2016

A Victorian quarry is due to reopen after years of disputes over the plans.

Councillors have backed plans to allow up to 5,200 tonnes of sandstone to be taken from Prudham Quarry, near the village of Fourstones, near Hexham, in Northumberland.

The planned extraction is to take place over a five-year period.

The quarry, previously known as Prudhamstone, was heavily worked from about 1830 to 1914 and was last used in the early-1980s.

Border Stone Quarries, a Haltwhistle-based company, saw the initial plans to reopen part of the site rejected by Northumberland County Council in 2019 due to concerns for traffic, wildlife, land instability and flooding.

In 2020, the company altered its plans, which were backed by the council's planning committee on Tuesday afternoon, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The extraction of up to 5,200 tonnes of sandstone will involve no more than three HGVs going to and from the site each day, the company said.

Councillors were told strong objections raised in 2019 by the Environment Agency and the local flood authority had now been resolved after an "exhaustive process".

The council said the initial phase of Border Stone's plans was "significantly reduced" compared to the original plans from 2016.

'Fundamentally dangerous'

There were 48 public objections against the plans.

David Curry, who lives nearby, told the planning committee he was now "even more convinced that this development is fundamentally dangerous".

He said he feared the disturbance caused by the sandstone extraction would lead to flooding at his property and potentially risk injuries or even deaths.

Committee chair Trevor Thorne, who backed the plans, said: "We have to ensure that neighbours surround the quarry are safe, we are going to protect them, and they are not going to be liable to landslips or flooding."

Before planning permission is formally granted, the proposal will have to be referred to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.