Quarry at Chouet approved with conditions

Plans for a new granite quarry at Chouet in Guernsey have been approved by politicians.

The Development and Planning Authority attached a number of conditions to the permission at its meeting on Monday.

Concerns from local people included noise, dust and vibrations and the impact on nearby properties and businesses.

Authority president Victoria Oliver said she hoped the conditions would help alleviate those concerns.

The permission gives the go-ahead for quarrying granite at a new nine acre site at Chouet in the north west of the island.

It follows a prediction by building supplies firm Ronez that the current granite quarry at Les Vardes was close to being exhausted.

Conditions on the new quarry include an increased number of devices to trap dust, agreement on days and times at which blasting is permitted, planting around the site and lowering machinery to reduce visual and noise impacts.

Mrs Oliver said the authority had "listened carefully to the representations made" and it was important "this work is carried out with the appropriate mitigations".

Les Vardes Quarry is expected to be exhausted by the end of 2023

Chouet resident Sara Woolland said: "The outcomes were probably as good as we could hope.

"The committee have listened to everything we said, they've agreed they come back to another open consultation on a lot of the planting and the biodiversity.

"We've managed to agree there will be no operations on the weekend.

"All in all it's a sad day I still think for Guernsey and for the headland but it's probably better than it could have been."

Steve Roussel, CEO of Ronez, said: "We're extremely pleased and relieved, obviously it means security for a lot of people that are employed at the quarry going forwards."

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