'We're tired of constant HGVs' - Yorkshire village residents object to plans to extend quarry

A group of villagers in and nearby Leven have called a meeting on Friday, November 24 at 7pm at its Sports Hall to discuss plans for Yarrows Quarry. Campaigners said the extra 15 years requested by the quarry’s operators was unnecessary and claimed it was a stepping stone to a much larger future development.

Applicants Enviro Aggregates Ltd said plans for the quarry, near Little Catwick, would help secure the existing 25 jobs at the site for the next decade and a half. It comes after the company lodged an application with East Riding Council to extend the quarry’s permitted operations to July 2039.

Operations at the site, which is adjacent to the A1035 Leven Bypass about 800m southwest of Catwick, are currently set to lose permission next July. A public right of way would also be diverted as part of the plans, but 12 objections have so far been lodged against the extension bid. They raised safety concerns about loose aggregate on local roads and traffic levels increasing because of the extended lifespan.

Objectors also said they feared it could open the door to future developments on the site once the quarry ceases operations.

A website set up by local residents stated: “The community is tired of constant HGVs every hour, spreading soil, gravel and stones on the bypass and through our villages. We’re tired of the whole site of the area, looking like an industrial area within the serenity of our countryside.”

The company stated in its plans that the site was incredibly well screened from the Leven Bypass by a bund, mature hedgerow and tree belt.

They added the new route planned for the public right of way would take walkers well away from the quarry and into woodland, making it more pleasant.

They stated: “The quarry employs 25 people directly and these jobs into 2024 are dependent on the success of this life extension application. It is imperative that Yarrows Quarry can continue to operate to serve the regional construction sector, as an economic driver for growth in the present economic climate.

“The proposals will also secure a high-quality restoration scheme for the site area that will provide ecological enhancements through new habitats such as a wildflower meadow as well as increasing and strengthening the level of woodland planting.

“The site has already supported thousands of construction projects and needs to remain operational to a support vital part of the construction sector in the Yorkshire and wider Humber region.”