Residents’ safety fears over quarry plan near Bridgnorth
Protestors say a proposed quarry would have a ‘dreadful effect’ on a busy road which has already seen a number of fatalities over the years.
JPE Holdings Ltd has submitted a planning application to Shropshire Council to extract a sand and mineral resource from land off the Bridgnorth Road, in Shipley.
The Shipley quarry is proposed to replace the mineral extraction operations at nearby Seisdon Quarry, which is due to cease operations at the end of 2018.
But protestors have launched an online petition – signed by more than 450 people – as well erecting protest signs along the Bridgnorth Road, after they mobilised to launch a campaign against the quarry plans.
Phil Nicholls said: “It will have a dreadful effect on the area. That road has always been a race track. There will be a bad accident there if it goes ahead.
“The lorries will be pulling out of the quarry on a main road anyway and then they will be travelling 60 to 70 miles per hour down that road, they can really pick up some speed."
Bob Smith added: “Everyone that lives local to the application is against it. There have been several fatal accidents near the proposed quarry entrance.
“It will be located near a very busy garden centre, which is popular with the older generation visiting in the day, who don’t drive quite as quickly with huge lorries following them.
“We have got to extract sand and gravel, but I would suggest this is not a suitable site.”
The application is for the phased extraction of sand and gravel, inclusive of mineral processing, all ancillary works, equipment and associated infrastructure and progressive restoration.
The application has received more than 90 comments from residents objecting the plans, on Shropshire Council’s planning website.
Steven Birch, JPE Holdings LTD managing director, said: “Shipley has been submitted to form a direct replacement for Seisdon Quarry, which is approaching the end of operations and the sites would not produce mineral concurrently.
“As the proposals will be a replacement for Seisdon Quarry, much of the traffic already exists within the wider local area, including those accessing the A454 Bridgnorth Road.
"Overall, HGV movements will continue to form a very small proportion of overall traffic flows.
"The proposals allow for direct access to the A454 rather than via local rural roads, which should improve the situation for local villages.”
JPE Holdings LTD took over Seisdon Quarry in 2014, from the previous owner and operator Lafarge Tarmac, which operated the site as Tarmac for more than 20 years.
The Seisdon Quarry hasn’t been without complaints from locals over the years, including the damage to the roads and amount of lorries passing through day-to-day.
Keith Randle, owner of Seisdon Garage, said: “The trucks from Seisdon Quarry have done no end of damage to the roads over the years.
"It is a miracle that there has not been a serious accident near the quarry. The roads are always muddy and wet down there.
“I would say that there are 10 to 15 lorries coming past our garage and into the villages - I would say there is even more going out the in the other direction towards Wolverhampton.”
