Quarrying in East Devon: Aggregate Industries' planning application for Straitgate Farm site: imminent

The mining company interested in creating a quarry near Ottery St Mary has consulted with the public on its proposals:
Futures Forum: Quarrying in East Devon: Aggregate Industries' latest public consultation

Questions remain as to how 'sustainable' such a development can be:
Futures Forum: Quarrying in East Devon: can it be done 'sustainably'? 
Futures Forum: The impacts of the mining industries

The company has put in an application to develop the site:
Futures Forum: Quarrying in East Devon: Aggregate Industries' planning application for Straitgate Farm site 

This should be on the County Council's planning website shortly:
Planning | Devon County Council

This is the comment from Devon County Councillor Claire Wright:

Proposed quarry near Ottery set to be considered by Devon County Council in July

Friday, 22 May 2015 0 Comments by Claire

The threatened huge quarry at Straitgate Farm will be considered, as part of its wider minerals strategy by Devon County Council’s planning committee, at its July meeting.

The area, which spans around 100 acres and currently a dairy farm on the edge of Ottery St Mary, is a preferred site in the county council’s draft minerals plan, which is the overriding strategy for quarrying in Devon, until 2031.

Aggregate Industries wants to to quarry a greenfield site - a productive dairy farm hosting miles of ancient hedgerows, dormice, and spring water for ancient woodland and 100 people - at a time when the county already has millions of tonnes of sand and gravel with planning permission.

The draft minerals plan, following the planning committee meeting in July, is set for a 12 week public consultation, from the beginning of August.

A planning application to quarry at Straitgate Farm, has now been submitted by Aggregate Industries and is expected to go online for a 21 day public consultation next week.

The planning application will be considered separately from the proposal in the minerals plan for Straitgate Farm to be quarried, but clearly the two are inextricably linked.

Aggregate Industries say that they will not quarry below the water table.

The weighty tomes of documentation, some of which I examined at County Hall this morning, is currently incomplete and officers are awaiting more information from Aggregate Industries to be able to consult on the plans.

The planning committee (or development management committee) meeting where the draft minerals plan is considered by councillors, will be held on Wednesday 15 July, at 2pm.

It is important that as many local people as possible attend the meeting. Public speaking is permitted.

It is also important that residents respond both to the minerals plan public consultation and the planning application by Aggregate Industries.

Straitgate Action Group is now fundraising via its website for donations to help finance an expert planning consultant to assist with fighting the quarry.  To donate and for much more information about the proposals see - http://straitgateactiongroup.blogspot.co.uk/p/what-to-do.html 

Pic:  Line of oaks at Straitgate Farm, which may be at risk from the proposal to quarry here. There is also well over one mile of ancient hedgerow that is also at risk.  Much else is at stake.

Proposed quarry near Ottery set to be considered by Devon County Council in July - Claire Wright

See also:
Devon Minerals Plan -  Responses to local consultation on FutureQuarrying in East and Mid Devon - May 2012
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