Limestone quarry the size of 50 football pitches to be created in North Yorkshire

Plans been unveiled to transform arable fields into a magnesian limestone quarry the size of 50 football pitches, but unlike many such schemes it appears the venture may not face much opposition from locals.

Lightwater Quarries has lodged documents with North Yorkshire County Council to extend the 33.7-hectare Gebdykes Quarry, near Masham, which has been worked since 1949 and is nearing exhaustion of the currently permitted reserves.

Stone from the quarry has been used to restore numerous historic buildings and villages in the Lower Wensleydale and Ripon area, including Markington, Masham and the Howe Hill Tower. The firm’s limestone is also used for path chippings, roads and for concrete mix.

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Gebdykes Quarry has been worked since 1949 andis nearing exhaustion of the currently permitted reserves. Pic: GoogleGebdykes Quarry has been worked since 1949 andis nearing exhaustion of the currently permitted reserves. Pic: Google
Gebdykes Quarry has been worked since 1949 andis nearing exhaustion of the currently permitted reserves. Pic: Google
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The family-owned aggregates and concrete supplier is proposing to extend the quarry by 27 hectares to the north to take about six million tonnes of high quality limestone, out of the ground over an estimated 18 years.

The firm hopes the proposed extension, which is about 10km east of the A1(M), would see an average annual output of 350,000 tonnes of the rock.

The extension area includes a small extension to the northern boundary of the existing void to the south of Limekiln Lane, but the majority in a new extraction area in the three arable fields to the north of the lane.

It is proposed to connect the existing and proposed areas by creating junctions on Limekiln Lane.

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The plan has emerged as the Planning Inspectorate continues to examine the North Yorkshire County Council, City of York and North York Moors National Park Authority Minerals and Waste Joint Plan.

When finalised, the plan will set out new planning policies for minerals and waste developments across all three areas which will guide decisions on planning applications until 2031.

A draft of the plan identified the northern fields as a site needed to meet mineral needs.

The extension area would be included in a new restoration masterplan for the whole quarry to a low-level scheme including agricultural land, woodland and grassland.

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The documents claim that such is the scale and complexity of the scheme the county council stands to receive a planning application fee of about £78,000.

Unlike other quarries in the area, such as Nosterfield which is close to the protected ancient monument of Thornborough Henges, there are no environmental or heritage designations on the proposed Gebdykes site.

When asked if the scale of the proposal had raised concerns over lorries transporting limestone from the site, Councillor Flo Grainger, chairman of Masham Parish Council, said the authority understood the quarry traffic would head away from the site towards the A1(M).

She said: “It doesn’t affect the town much and it would not be visible to many people. It will be another scar on the countryside, but we need these materials.”