Objection to 100 Acre quarry at Straitgate Farm (deadline today)

As the newly elected county councillor for the Otter Valley, please see my objection below. This follows on from Claire Wright’s objection as County Councillor on 3rd May 2021.

The deadline for comments is today and I would urge anyone wishing to comment on the application to do so asap.  Here is the link Search and comment on applications | Planning (devon.gov.uk).

As Devon County Councillor for the Otter Valley, I strongly feel that this application should be REFUSED.

I agree with all the points raised by former County Councillor Claire Wright in her objection and wish to make the following points:

Environmental and Ecological Impact

The proposed quarrying of this 100-acre site would have a significant and detrimental environmental, ecological and landscape impact. Currently rich in biodiversity, the proposed development would upset the ecological balance on a vast scale through the destruction of habitats of protected species, veteran trees and 1.5 km of mature 4 metre-wide hedgerows. The ecological impact is likely to be felt beyond the quarry site itself and risks seriously impacting Cadhay’s medieval fishponds and the rare and important ancient woodland at Cadhay Bog, an untouched remnant from the last Ice Age.

Unsustainable development

As there will be no processing facilities at Straitgate, all as-dug material would need to be driven by HGV to Hillhead quarry some 23 miles away. This would mean 100,000 journeys. This is unsustainable and unacceptable particularly given 20% of the as-dug material is silt – waste.

Aggregate Industries’ report entitled “The Greenhouse Gas Assessment of the Proposed Quarry at Straitgate Farm” claims quarrying at Straitgate will result in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The report however fails to take into account quarrying of material at Hillhead which would have no such requirement for transportation, being adjacent to the processing site.

Devon County Council’s stated commitment is to “lead in the global response to climate change through action innovation and influence”. Supporting this application would contravene this stated commitment.

Devon County Council’s Minerals Plan (2017) states that maintaining the production of sand and gravel from the southern and northern parts of the pebblebeds is important in minimising transportation distances to the main markets in Devon. Straitgate was included in the Minerals Plan on the basis that materials would be processed nearby at Rockbeare. With the processing now taking place 23 miles away there is no benefit to quarrying at Straitgate in transportation terms, in fact quite the opposite.

The transportation of materials by HGV in the way proposed runs contrary to Policy M2 of the Devon Minerals Plan which requires that mineral development should minimize the distance that minerals are transported.

Impact on water supplies

Expert in hydrogeology, Professor Brassington has highted that quarrying will trigger an irreversible change in the chemistry of water caused by reducing the travel time of rainfall water percolation by 50%. This will lead to an increase in acidity and deterioration in water quality.

The private water supplies 100 residents, 3 farms, as well as Cadhay House, tearooms and medieval fishponds and the ancient woodland at Cadhay Bog.

The proposed section 106 agreement is inadequate in addressing water-related issues. Residents and businesses will be subject to years of uncertainty without any proper recourse. What is more, the change in the chemistry of the water would be irreversible and therefore could never be addressed by a s106 agreement.

Professor Brassington concludes “the application for the proposed quarry should be refused because of the irreversible damage that it will cause to the local groundwater system that both supports local habitats and forms the water supplies for Cadhay House with its medieval fishponds and tearooms, more than 100 people plus three livestock farms”.

This application is therefore contrary to policy M21 of the Devon Minerals Plan which states that proposals will not be permitted where they would “harm the quality, availability, and or flow of surface water and groundwater and the integrity and function of the water system, both surrounding, and where relevant, within the site”.

Flood risk

The applicant’s flood risk assessment pre-dates groundwater monitoring data which shows that the water table is higher than had previously been assessed and the flood alleviation proposals cannot now be accommodated. The proposal poses a significant and unacceptable flood risk to Ottery St Mary. In 2008 parts of Ottery St Mary and West Hill downstream from Straitgate Farm were subjected to significant flood damage as a result of flooding from the four streams emanating from Straitgate Farm.  The quarrying proposal will exacerbate the existing risk.

This application is therefore contrary to policy M24 of the Devon Minerals Plan which states that mineral development must “not lead to an increased risk of fluvial, surface water or groundwater flooding”.

The Devon Minerals Plan contains a specific requirement that, if permitted, working at Straitgate must only be above the maximum water table. Given the complexities around the calculation of the water table, and the number of increases there have been already (and are likely to be in the future given climate change) I am concerned that there can be no certainty around the water table and the implications this has for flood risk, water flow and water quality.

Highway safety concerns

The applicant has failed to resolve the highways issues. Introducing 216 heavily-laden slow moving quarry vehicles on a daily basis into an already dangerous road will cause an increase in accidents. Highways Safety issues are one of my major concerns particularly given the road in question is the most heavily trafficked road from the A30 to Ottery St Mary.

In addition, the applicant has failed to resolve the issue of the dairy herd which, in the event permission for the quarry is granted, would need to cross the B3174 four times a day for milking, no longer having sufficient grazing to the north of the B3174. The current planning application for this crossing (submitted to East Devon District Council) was submitted on the basis that there would be no increase in cattle movements. This would clearly not be the case in the event of changing farming practice due to implementation of the quarry. Moving cattle across the road would bring traffic to a standstill for quite some time and would in effect cut the town of Ottery St Mary off from its main route in and out and has significant consequences for the emergency services.

This application is contrary to policy M22 of the Devon Minerals Plan because the applicant has not demonstrated that there would not be a significant effect on road safety.

No clearly identified need for the quarry

This site was included as a preferred site in the Devon Minerals Plan in 2017. However, the plan recognizes that Straitgate may not be capable of being delivered and there are alternative sites provided for. It states that “in the event that Straitgate Farm proved to be incapable of being delivered, then the other site, West at Penslade Cross would have adequate resources to enable sand and gravel supply to be maintained for the plan period”

Devon County Council is required under the NPPF to have a seven-year landbank of sand and gravel. It can do this through alternative sites, including Houndaller which is currently being quarried and has consent until 2037 and the site at Penslade Cross.

Delay in determining the planning application

This particular application was submitted by Aggregate Industries on 16^th January 2017. I appreciate that Devon County Council as the planning authority on this matter needs to strike a balance between the interests of the applicant and residents. However, it is my view that Aggregate Industries have been afforded an excess of time in pursuit of this application and that this has been at the considerable detriment of residents who have faced years of uncertainty. I am also concerned that some of the information submitted by the applicant is now out of date.

Conclusion

In the six years since their first application for this site (including four years under this current application) Aggregate Industries have been unable to resolve the many barriers to the development of this site including water supplies, flooding, sustainability, environmental concerns and highway safety issues.

Given the relatively small amount of potential quarrying material at Straitgate and the enormous and disproportionate detriment and risk I urge Devon County Council to refuse this application.

Regards

Cllr Jess Bailey