Sponsored by
Mixed welcome to quarry talks
Emma Dunlop ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners have given a cautious welcome to plans which could see the end of quarrying close to a Bronze Age stone circle.
For nearly four years activists and green campaigners have been fighting to stop quarrying at Stanton Moor near Bakewell.
A number of eco-warriors have even dug in to the site at the Peak District beauty spot, close to the Nine Ladies stone circle, to try to prevent work
Operators Stancliffe Stone has planning permission to extract stone from Endcliffe and Lees Cross quarries.
However, that has been subject to a number of legal battles in the courts over whether the site is classed as dormant or active.
Last year the High Court ruled in favour of the Peak District National Park Authority, which listed the quarries as dormant.
But Stancliffe Stone is taking that decision to the Court of Appeal. Now the authority has agreed to an approach from the operators to apply jointly for an adjournment of the legal appeal, giving both sides time to thrash out a suitable deal over the land.
Last night a spokesman for the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) greeted the news with some apprehension.
South Yorkshire and Peak District spokesman Andy Tickle said they would be "exploring fully" any new development, although he does welcome the move in principle.
Under the proposal, he believes the operators would be looking to stop quarrying at Stanton Moor, but expand operations elsewhere.
He said: "It is the case that any expansion would cause less environmental damage than working Endcliffe and Lees Cross, which we were always opposed to.
"However, it is still a sensitive area and our concerns would include any environmental impact, for instance the impact of lorries."
He is also concerned that any expansion plan should be done on the same terms as before, and not be a way for the company to expand its operations further.
He said: "We will be monitoring closely any expansion plans. There needs to be transparency in terms of what is being swapped. We don't want to see them getting a massive gain by swapping to another site."
The adjournment, if granted by the Court of Appeal, will give time for Stancliffe Stone to explore other options consistent with the Stanton Moor Principles, agreed by interested parties from all sides five years ago.
It could lead to a full planning application, to be accompanied by an environmental statement, to be made for another site further away from the historically-important moor.
If that application was approved then Stancliffe Stone has agreed it would voluntarily relinquish its proposal to revive the existing permission at Endcliffe and Lees Cross, which dates from 1952 and remains valid until 2042.
Authority chairman Tony Hams said: "The request for an adjournment – while not compromising us in any way over any future planning application the company may submit – does offer one more option for a possible solution to a very complex matter.
"That option could lead to a voluntary revocation of the existing planning permission for Lees Cross and Endcliffe.
"It will still be up to the authority, in consultation with the public, and after the normal statutory consultation process, to decide which option to take, and we will make what we believe at the time to be the best decision for the National Park."
The other alternatives will still be available to both parties – Stancliffe Stone's appeal could still go ahead and, depending on the outcome, the authority would decide how to go forward.
No work can take place at the Endcliffe and Lees Cross quarries until the issue is resolved.
There was no comment last night from Stancliffe Stone.
Email to a friend
Print this page- Three-inch blanket of snow heading our way today
- Alan Shearer in list of favourites for Leeds and England jobs: Latest odds
- Barnsley’s Keith Hill invokes Fawlty Towers over link with Leeds job
- McCormack feels United search can be narrowed down
- Redfearn throws down gauntlet as queue builds at Elland Road
- Rival chips in with £500,000 to restore the original Harry Ramsden’s
- Visit from Princess as Serbian culture celebrated
- SportsTalk: Leeds United’s manager search, Super League and Calcutta Cup
- Libraries aren’t like supermarkets, they are magical places where dreams begin
- Strategic review will lead to job losses at Yorkshire Bank
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -1 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 1 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
