Plan to extend sand and gravel quarry near North Cave and restore it for wildlife

Breedon say it will take around four to five years to excavate the 36 hectare site near North Cave which will then be restored for nature

Developers have worked for nearly quarter of a century with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, who manage the areas which have been already restored and are now teeming with wildlife. Avocets, little ringed plover and common terns are already breeding there.

The aggregates, the FTSE-listed firm says in documents submitted online, will go towards building “homes, extensions, roads and schools”.

The 21,000 homes needed in the East Riding by 2038/39 “will result in increased demand”.

Other benefits include business rates paid to the local authority and a levy of around £2 for each tonne of aggregate extracted. It will also maintain 12 full-time jobs.

The documents say reserves at the current site are set to run out in the coming years. They state: “It anticipated that the consented mineral reserves at the North Cave Quarry Complex will be exhausted between 2025 and 2026”.

They add: “It is estimated that there is approximately 2.2m tonnes of sand and gravel available at the northern extraction area. Based on a continued sand and gravel extraction rate of between 400,000 – 550,000 tonnes per annum it is anticipated that the life of the northern extraction area will be approximately four to five years.”

The plans state that a restoration scheme will follow, designed in collaboration with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust which will include areas of water covering around 22 hectares, heathland and reed and fen habitat.

The application seeks to extend the life of the mineral processing plant until 2036, instead of 2029, when it was due to be removed and restored.

It should operate in the same way as the existing quarry and will continue to be accessed off Newport Road. The number of HGVs are expected to remain the same.

Breedon wants to install an electrically powered conveyor crossing Dryham Lane and going under Crosslands Lane to bring the aggregates to the mineral processing plant. A haul road will run adjacent to the route of the conveyor for vehicles accessing the northern extraction area. It comes as the latest extension to the site, round the farmhouse to the north of Dryham Lane, is expected to open in the coming months. The north-west extension includes an area of open water with some reedbeds and shingle, where avocets and little ringed plover could nest.

YWT regional manager East David Craven said: “It’s coming up for 25 years now – considering that it was a relatively small site in the first place, it is a massively positive story.

"It's a site that has grown and will continue to grow for the next decade and become a significant and substantial wetland in East Yorkshire. Breedon have been a fantastic partner.”