Quarry plans refused after villagers said community was being blighted by lorry traffic

Condover residents said the decision of Shropshire Council’s southern planning committee to reject the application to extend Gonsal Quarry – which would have seen 600,000 tonnes of material extracted over the next four years – had “restored their faith in local democracy”.

Salop Sand and Gravel, which has owned the quarry since the 1950s, had applied to extend into a neighbouring field, and proposed a continuation of previous planning conditions which require HGVs to travel through the village to get to and from the site.

This was despite a stipulation in the council’s development plan that any further expansion of the quarry must include a new access route directly onto the A49, paid for by the owners.

But the company had argued that the proposed extension would not yield enough material to make the new access, estimated to cost more than £2 million, viable. Planning officers agreed and had recommended the application be approved.

The proposals drew objections from 73 members of the public, Condover Parish Council and Burnell ward councillor Dan Morris.

A statement from one resident was read to the committee, criticising the “irresponsible owner” of the quarry for flouting previous planning conditions intended to limit the volume of minerals to be extracted each year and restrict the times of HGV traffic.

The statement said: “Anger, frustration and real concern have been felt right across our community because of the noise, fumes, disruption and dangers caused by the heavy traffic.”

Councillor Morris said the community had “little faith” that the company would stick to any new conditions given their failure to do so in the past.

He argued the impact of lorry traffic was causing damage to the village conservation area and putting pedestrians at risk.

Addressing committee members, he said: “We are elected to stand up for our residents and in this case I believe the right thing to do is listen to the people of Condover.”

A statement was also read from the applicant, saying a continuation of its 9 pence per tonne contribution to local road improvements would fund a number of measures including a 20mph limit. It was also proposed to pay this as a lump sum, totalling more than £100,000 when added to money already owed, to enable work to be carried out as soon as possible.

However the offer failed to sway the committee.

'Invaluable'

Councillor Madge Shineton said the mineral extraction and restoration work would go on far longer than the four years stated in the application.

She said: “I can’t condemn Condover to another 10 years of this sort of disruption so I shall be voting against this application.”

Councillor Andy Boddington said: “The proposed minor works in Condover do not solve the problem of heavy traffic through Condover. The way to solve that problem is not to have heavy traffic from the quarry going through Condover.”

He proposed refusal of the scheme on the grounds that it did not comply with the development plan policy requiring the new access, and the significant adverse impact on the road network.

Committee chairman Councillor David Evans said: “This is going to have a detrimental effect. I can’t bear to put these people through any more than what they have already been through.”

The committee voted unanimously to refuse the application. A linked application for a satellite stocking yard at Norton Farm was also unanimously rejected.

Condover Residents Action Group (CRAG) welcomed the committee’s decision.

A group spokesperson said: “We are very grateful for the unanimous support of the committee members, spanning the full political spectrum, in rejecting the planning application.

“We were deeply moved by the empathy that the members of the committee shared for our plight and their understanding that we had a valid objection.

“We would like to thank the many local volunteers in the village who worked tirelessly in support of this campaign, from running our own traffic surveys to letter writing to the many stakeholders in this matter.

“In particular, the support and hard work of our local councillor Dan Morris proved invaluable in helping to get the voice and views of Condover residents heard.

“Many residents have stated that this outcome has restored their faith in local democracy.”