Object

Representation ID: 94687

Received: 26/10/2019

Respondent: Dr Pallavi Devulapalli

I object to silica sand mining taking place in the area of Area Of Search (AOS) E and its surroundings as proposed in the Norfolk County Council Mineral & Waste Local Plan, Preferred Options July 2019.

My objections are for the following reasons:

Climate Change
The UK has signed up to the Paris Agreement which in turn led to the Climate Change Act which commits the UK government by law to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 100% of 1990 levels (net zero) by 2050.
There is an urgent need to plant trees- the Woodland Trust estimates the UK needs to plant 1.5 billion trees by 2050 in order to reach net zero emissions. This is about 30000 hectares. In comparison, the Warren search area is 330 hectares of woodland. It is nonsensical to destroy existing woodlands when we are not meeting targets for new plantings.
It takes time to establish woods and we are not in a position to take down any trees at this point in time.
Norfolk needs to play its part in meeting our international obligations, so the trees must stay.

Biodiversity and tree cover:
The destruction of woodland, never to be restored, is unacceptable at a time when Govt's policy (Clean Growth Strategy) is to increase the number of trees in the UK - "Establish a new network of forests in England... plant 11 million trees". We are facing a Climate Crisis. Shouldham Warren is one of our precious planet's lungs, capturing 11,000 tonnes of C02 per year. The Warren provides clean air, home to precious biodiversity, valuable educational space for children and a recreational area well used by so many people.

Health Benefits of Forests and the duties of the council vis a vis health of residents:
Studies have conclusively proven that exposure to forests and trees:
* boosts the immune system
* lowers blood pressure
* reduces stress
* improves mood
* increases ability to focus, even in children with ADHD
* accelerates recovery from surgery or illness
* increases energy level
* improves sleep
Section 12 of the 2012 Act 4 introduced a new duty for all upper-tier and unitary local authorities in England to take appropriate steps to improve the health of the people who live in their areas
The Health and Social Care Act 2012 delegated duties to local authorities to improve public health and reduce health inequalities. There is a range of legislation that protects biodiversity and urban green spaces by regulating planning, contamination and conservation, including the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Planning Act 2008. 
The Natural Environment White Paper addresses the importance of accessible green space and links to human health. The Health and Wellbeing Board has named prevention of ill health one of its top priorities and several studies have shown that £1 spent on enabling access to green spaces gives a return of £6 or more in benefits.
At a time when 1 in 5 children leaving primary school in West Norfolk are obese, the importance of doing all that we can as a society to encourage a healthier lifestyle cannot be underestimated.
West Norfolk is one of the highest areas in the country for GP prescribing of antidepressants, indicating a high prevalence of depression and anxiety in the population.
The NHS is under huge strain already trying to treat people, and the county council must do everything in its power to enable people to lead healthier lives, to reduce the burden on health services.
Shouldham Warren is used by a very large number of people from the surrounding areas to walk, cycle, and 'forest bathe'. It is used by cycling groups and the Ryston Runners have their races here every winter which are attended by a very large number of children and adults from far and wide. There is no other wooded area in this part of West Norfolk which could be used instead, and there is no doubt that people's health will suffer if they are denied access to these woods- a situation we can ill afford as a county.
If it goes ahead with giving permission to explore the area for sand quarrying, and thereby take down these woods, Norfolk County Council will fail in its obligations to look after the health of the people of Norfolk.

Traffic burden:
Increased traffic through the village will make it inhospitable, and increase noise and dust pollution and endanger the lives of people (elderly, children) as well as pets in the village.
The roads are not fit for carrying great loads of traffic.
There will be increased congestion on minor and major roads, and this in turn, will affect economic productivity.

Rationale for a quarry is not fit for purpose in this day and age
Sand is a finite resource and to say there is a 'need' for sand is short term thinking in the extreme. What will happen when the sand in this part of the world has been extracted in 20-30 years' time? What is the point of kicking the can a bit further down the road?
When will we come to accept that what is needed is a circular economy where nothing goes to waste, and everything is recycled or reused?
Its time to say enough is enough. To say no to further extraction of resources and to start mining landfills for materials and to have a county- (country- and world-) wide extensive glass collection and recycling mechanism.
It is clear that there are no benefits of the proposed quarry to anyone apart from the quarry company itself.
The lack of an improved glass recycling plan to increase the amount of glass cullet available to UK glass manufacturers makes further quarrying for silica sand at the current rate morally wrong.

''Our environment is our most precious inheritance," says DEFRA, so I urge Norfolk County Council to not allocate the woodlands and agricultural farmland in AOS E and remove AOS E from the Mineral & Waste Local Plan.
​I also object to quarrying in SIL 02. It is false of Norfolk County Council to say SIL02 has not been allocated whilst retaining 1/3 of the area in Area Of Search, AOS E. It has known mineral deposits, there is a willing landowner, that defines a preferred area. MOD (DIO) objected to the WHOLE of SIL02, I demand that NCC removes this overlap area from their M&WLP.