A huge UK quarry could be extended, and its lifespan increased by 18 years, according to official documents seen by the Leicester Mercury.
The major British regional daily newspaper says the Mountsorrel quarry operator Tarmac has taken the first steps towards the Quorn, near Loughborough, Leciestershire, central England-based site's possible expansion by approaching Leicestershire County Council for planning advice.
The 221-hectare quarry has been worked since 1895 and currently supplies the construction industry with large volumes of extracted stone used for projects across the region and throughout the UK. Granite from the quarry was used in the original construction of the M25, and it provides 70% of the stone used to maintain Network Rail's tracks.
Last week, Tarmac submitted a request for a scoping report to the county's planning department. The report would set out what information the company would need to provide, alongside a planning application, regarding the environmental impact of the proposed extension. It would investigate a range of potential effects, including landscape, ecology, noise and traffic, and would identify measures which could mitigate them.
Tarmac wants to extend both the north and the southeast edges of the existing granite extraction zone, according to the documents. The company said the current granite reserves were set to run out in 2037. The site is already permitted to operate until the end of 2040.
Rothley Common would be lost as a community green space if permission was granted. Instead, a new common would be created next to the existing one with replacement woodland and a bridleway linking to Cufflins Pit Lane, according to Tarmac.
Malcolm Lawer, regional head of strategic planning and geology at Tarmac, said: "Whilst the quarry has planning consent until the end of 2040, the demand for minerals from Mountsorrel means that reserves could run out in around 15 years. The application does not seek to change the intensity of operations, meaning that there would be no change to existing operational practices, the number of lorry movements via Granite Way, or working hours.
"Once a scoping opinion has been received, we will review the comments and create firm drafts of the scheme, which will be reviewed with key stakeholders, namely, landowners, the quarry liaison group and parish councils.
"We will also run a number of public consultation events in early autumn to allow input from the wider community for us to consider before submitting a planning application, with further opportunities to comment through the statutory process once the planning application has been submitted. We will share more details with the public as our proposals move forward."
The Leicester Mercury reports that if the extension to the quarry is permitted, the possible working life of the quarry would be increased by 18 years, until 2058. The new borders of the extraction zone would remain within the land belonging to the quarry, roughly one kilometre northwest of Mountsorrel village. Landscaping would take place at either end of the quarry to shield it from view, Tarmac said. This would include work around Quorn House and Park – owned by Tarmac – to create a sloping woodland area, protecting the views of the house.
