Quarrying in East Devon > second Straitgate planning application submitted

Late last year, a planning application for a quarry near Ottery was being anticipated:
Futures Forum: Quarrying in East Devon > Straitgate approved for inclusion in Devon's mineral's plan > further reports

This was 'after a planning inspector endorsed the site as part of the Devon Minerals Plan':
Planning inspector says ‘yes’ to quarry - View from Sidmouth

And despite severe misgivings about the capacity of the local roads:
Traffic caused by quarry plans dubbed ‘madness’ - News - Midweek Herald

A second application has now been formally submitted -  and the campaign group the Straitgate Action Group are naturally not impressed:
Straitgate Action Group: You really couldn't make this up
Straitgate Action Group: Does anyone from AI ever sense-check this stuff?
Straitgate Action Group: This is the company that is looking to profit from Straitgate Farm
Straitgate Action Group: Are AI’s B3174 Exeter Road traffic count figures fictitious?
straitgateactiongroup.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/aggregate-industries-says-its-done-this-sort-of-thing-before.html

Etc, etc...

Here's a full report from County Cllr Claire Wright:

Planning application to develop a quarry on the edge of Ottery goes live

Thursday, 09 March 2017 4 Comments by Claire

The second planning application for a 100 acre quarry on the edge of Ottery has gone live.

The first one was withdrawn last year as the applicants were not confident of getting approval.

Devon County Council as the minerals authority will determine the planning application, which has been submitted by Aggregate Industries and includes the following:

Transport

* The proposal is to put a maximum of 172 HGVs on the B3174 Exeter Road every day during the 5-7 week campaigns, 2-3 times a year, over 10-12 years; although the plan has apparently been ‘tested’ for up to 200 HGVs a day.
* 172 movements would mean one heavy truck every 3½ minutes over a 10 hour day.
* This is on the main road in to and out of Ottery, between the Birdcage Lane/Toadpit Lane junction and Daisymount junction.
* This figure equates to an increase of 225% of HGVs on this stretch of road during campaigns.
* The journey to Uffculme, where AI now wants to process the sand and gravel, is 23 miles.
* For 1.5 million tonnes of as-dug material, that would total 2.5 million miles.
* Which would involve 107,142 HGV movements.
* And would produce around 4,000 tonnes of CO2 and 40 tonnes of NOx.

Ecology

* The proposal is to remove 2,090 metres of ancient hedgerows at Straitgate Farm, as well as several trees.
* Dormice - a European Protected Species - have been found in hedgerows all over the farm.
* Surveys show that at least 11 species of bats - also protected - use these hedgerows.
* The revised access point on Birdcage Lane (now 45m from the junction) would require the removal of a wide stretch of trees, shrubs and Devon bank.

https://planning.devon.gov.uk/PlanDisp.aspx?AppNo=DCC/3944/2017

For more information visit the Straitgate Action group website at: http://www.straitgateactiongroup.blogspot.co.uk

You can view the documentation via the Devon County Council website at https://planning.devon.gov.uk/PlanDisp.aspx?AppNo=DCC/3944/2017

The deadline for comments is 24 March. If you wish to comment email planning@devon.gov.uk. People should give their name and address and the planning reference: DCC/3944/2017.

Pic: A birdseye view of Straitgate Farm quarrying area.
Comments

1. At 09:19 am on 10th Mar Dan Diggery wrote:

200 lorry movements a day along the proposed route have been tested? – Maybe simulated but not tested unless I am missing something. They have run 200 ladened lorries a day? – when did they do this? I am prepared to be corrected.

Some simple flaws in the plan are – the run on to the A30 at Daisy Mount is too short for a car let alone a ladened lorry into 70 mph flowing traffic.

And what impact will it have at the Junction onto the M5 – the right-hand slip onto the motorway is short and it is already congested at the best of times.

Just two simple flaws in my opinion.


2. At 10:17 am on 12th Mar Paul Beauchamp wrote:

A large section of the boundary runs adjacent to the A30. If the application is accepted, as I fear it eventually will be, I think, as part of the bargaining process they should be made to change the entry and exit points as a slip road onto the A30. At least that would get rid of the traffic issue away from the narrow stretch of road between Daisymount and Ottery St Mary, and transfer it to a road that can better cope with such vehicles.


3. At 11:26 am on 12th Mar Susan Wollen wrote:

I am objecting for no other reason other than the fact I am fed up with all the destruction of our countryside and animal habitat.I should have thought that if dormice are here that should be enough to say No.I have to past the terrible blot that is Cranbrook,we need no more destruction!!!


4. At 01:40 pm on 14th Mar Susan F McCarthy wrote:

The Exeter Road is already dangerous with its hidden dips and rises and the potential for accidents will doubtless be multiplied. It is not and never was built to accommodate the increase in the type of traffic that is being proposed. Ottery is already being ‘built over’ despite strenuous objections and I cannot see how ruining this area will benefit anyone except those that plan to make money from it. It appears that this aggregate is not needed as there are still other quarries that have the same type of gravel in excess and therefore this is a gratituous application.


Planning application to develop a quarry on the edge of Ottery goes live - Claire Wright
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