news story

8th June 2007

Wickwar Quarry

Update from Meeting Held in Charfield Memorial Hall on 7 June 2007

Chair: Steve Webb MP
Panel: Cllr Sandra O’Neill (Charfield)
Cllr Howard Gawler (Laddenbrook)
John Acton (formerly Charfield Parish Council)
Colin Baker (Wickwar Residents Action Group)

The three planning applications at issue can be found on the South Gloucestershire Council website by searching for their reference numbers. Link to the website by clicking on this green text.  The planning application references are:

• PT07/0573/F – sets out the proposed area of the quarry extension

• PT07/0577/RVC – extends the hours for crushing and screening

• PT07/0578/RVC – allows the coating plant to work all round the clock
   

The applications are currently expected to be determined by the members of the Development Control (West) Committee at their next meeting on July 5th. Some members of the committee visited Wickwar Quarry on a site visit on 7th June, where they heard from local residents.

All members of the public are welcome to attend the meeting on July 5th, which starts at 3pm at the Council offices in Thornbury. Although only five minutes is allocated for the general public to speak on either side of the application, councillors will also hear from the local ward member and from local parish councils.

The councillors will then debate the applications, taking account of the report that they have received from Council officers. They can approve the applications as they stand, approve them subject to conditions, or reject them. A large turnout of the public was considered helpful in demonstrating to councillors the strength of public opinion, although it was noted that there is limited seating capacity at Thornbury and so some residents may need to stand.

It was agreed that it would be useful for concerned residents to write letters to the individual members of the Development Control (West) committee, in advance of the meeting. It was stressed that such letters should be polite, and should emphasise the impact of allowing the applications un-amended on the quality of life of the individual resident. The more specific the comments, the better.

The following is a list of the Councillors on the committee. The South Gloucestershire Council website has their full contact details here:

• Peter Tyzack - Chair

• Keith Cranney

• Roger Hutchinson

• Justin Howells

• Trevor Jones

• Brian Hopkinson

• Brian Freeguard

• David Bell

• Andy Perkins

• Ken Dando

• Pat Hockey

• Clare Fardell

Laddenbrook councillor Howard Gawler has also recently been appointed a member of the committee, but because of his publicly-expressed past support for residents on this issue he will not be permitted to vote on these applications.

Many residents complained that the existing planning conditions were being flouted whilst the current applications were being considered.

Steve Webb MP agreed to write to the Government about the Government guidance that councils should not enforce planning conditions whilst a new planning application was pending. It was agreed that this was an abuse of the planning process. Steve also agreed to write to the Council about the fact that it was claimed that ‘no complaints’ had been received about past breaches of the planning conditions. Several residents said they had complained to the Council about the quarry before the present applications were submitted, but these appeared not to have been treated as complaints about planning breaches.
 

Click here to read the debate that Steve Webb led in Parliament on 19th June on this issue