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Initial Consultation document
Representation ID: 92024
Received: 09/08/2018
Respondent: Longwater Gravel Co. Ltd.
Summary: Longwater Gravel is a small scale quarry operator and our proposed new quarry at MIN51/13 is necessary to meet the needs of our growing customer base in the Dereham area. The quarry will annually produce 70,000 tonnes and employ 10 people. We have already commenced work to secure an abstraction licence from the Environment Agency and we are fully committed to submitting an application for planning permission which will meet all of the requirements set out in M&WLP and MIN 51/13 within the next two years.
I write to confirm that Longwater Gravel agree with and support Norfolk County Council's initial conclusion to allocate MIN 51 and MIN 13.
Longwater Gravel Company is a small scale quarry operator which specialises in small deliveries of sand and gravel to a customer base which includes local builders, groundworkers and the general public. We also supply sand and gravel to a number of small volume readymixed concrete producers.
The proposal for Longwater Gravel to develop and operate a small, low volume quarry at MIN 51/13 is driven by the need for us to further support our growing customer base in and around Dereham and in the area to the west of Norwich. The quarry, if granted planning permission, would directly employ 4 full time staff and indirectly employ a further 6. We plan to produce around 70,000 tonnes per year, the majority of which would be transported by our fleet of small delivery vehicles and a small number of HGV's. Access to the quarry would be via Rawhall Lane through a new entrance located on the north east boundary. The main operations area, where the gravel washing plant, loading areas, weighbridge, etc. will be sited, would be located in the southwest corner of MIN 13. Phased working and restoration of the quarry would commence in MIN 13 and move in a west-east direction towards Bilney Road. Once all reserves in MIN 13 have been exhausted, extraction and restoration operations will commence in MIN 51, again working in a west-east direction with the operations area remaining located in MIN 13. Soils which are stripped to enable access to the sand and gravel would be stored in grassed bunds along the northern and eastern margins which would assist in screening views of the operations area. On completion of sand and gravel extraction, the land would be restored to agricultural use at a lower level and to achieve this a small quantity of material such as soil may need to be imported to assist with constructing an acceptable restoration profile. The overall timescale to complete extraction and restoration from MIN 51/13 would be around 16 years.
We have already commenced work on the development of a quarry at MIN 51/13 and to date this work includes the drafting of legal agreements with landowners and negotiation with the Environment Agency to secure an abstraction licence for water for gravel washing. The Environment Agency has now issued a permit to Longwater Gravel to install and test a new borehole at the site which will provide data to determine if an abstraction licence can be issued. If we can secure an abstraction licence, then work will immediately commence on a planning application which will fully comply with the requirements as set out in MIN 51/13.
We have asked Small Fish Consultants to assess the site and our proposals against the emerging Minerals and Waste Local Plan and they will comment separately.
I write to confirm that Longwater Gravel agree with and support Norfolk County Council's initial conclusion to allocate MIN 51 and MIN 13.
Longwater Gravel Company is a small scale quarry operator which specialises in small deliveries of sand and gravel to a customer base which includes local builders, groundworkers and the general public. We also supply sand and gravel to a number of small volume readymixed concrete producers.
The proposal for Longwater Gravel to develop and operate a small, low volume quarry at MIN 51/13 is driven by the need for us to further support our growing customer base in and around Dereham and in the area to the west of Norwich. The quarry, if granted planning permission, would directly employ 4 full time staff and indirectly employ a further 6. We plan to produce around 70,000 tonnes per year, the majority of which would be transported by our fleet of small delivery vehicles and a small number of HGV's. Access to the quarry would be via Rawhall Lane through a new entrance located on the north east boundary. The main operations area, where the gravel washing plant, loading areas, weighbridge, etc. will be sited, would be located in the southwest corner of MIN 13. Phased working and restoration of the quarry would commence in MIN 13 and move in a west-east direction towards Bilney Road. Once all reserves in MIN 13 have been exhausted, extraction and restoration operations will commence in MIN 51, again working in a west-east direction with the operations area remaining located in MIN 13. Soils which are stripped to enable access to the sand and gravel would be stored in grassed bunds along the northern and eastern margins which would assist in screening views of the operations area. On completion of sand and gravel extraction, the land would be restored to agricultural use at a lower level and to achieve this a small quantity of material such as soil may need to be imported to assist with constructing an acceptable restoration profile. The overall timescale to complete extraction and restoration from MIN 51/13 would be around 16 years.
We have already commenced work on the development of a quarry at MIN 51/13 and to date this work includes the drafting of legal agreements with landowners and negotiation with the Environment Agency to secure an abstraction licence for water for gravel washing. The Environment Agency has now issued a permit to Longwater Gravel to install and test a new borehole at the site which will provide data to determine if an abstraction licence can be issued. If we can secure an abstraction licence, then work will immediately commence on a planning application which will fully comply with the requirements as set out in MIN 51/13.
We have asked Small Fish Consultants to assess the site and our proposals against the emerging Minerals and Waste Local Plan and they will comment separately.