Suffolk County Council to decide on plans for quarry in protected area
Opponents have raised concerns about environmental impacts
Last updated 15th Dec 2022
A proposal to extract 400,000 tonnes of sand and gravel from a Suffolk area protected due to important habitats will be put to councillors this week.
An application to quarry the materials from Thetford’s North Farm before restoring the area to heathland has officers’ support, despite opposition on the grounds of habitat safeguarding and traffic.
Suffolk County Council’s development and regulation committee will decide whether to approve two linked applications on Thursday – one for quarrying and another for a new access location.
This decision was previously deferred by the committee, mainly due to worries about the impact on stone curlew birds and HGV traffic.
A planning statement for the quarry by applicant Mick George Ltd, submitted in 2020, explains: “A fundamental objective of the scheme’s design is balancing protection of the local environment with the requirement to extract minerals.
“The proposed sand and gravel quarry at North Farm provides the opportunity to supply primary aggregate over a four to five year period.
“The scheme will also restore the quarry workings to a beneficial after-use in a sustainable manner to create alternative habitats.”
The proposal includes the importation of waste soils, clays and other materials to restore the area to its original ground level and establish a heathland after quarrying is complete.
The site is in Breckland’s special protection area, which is designated to safeguard habitats and species. The area is particularly important for stone curlew birds.
An assessment of the impact on stone curlews was undertaken by the county council’s ecologist after the application’s deferral.
The ecologist considered the development acceptable and proposed mitigation measures, which will be incorporated into a management plan produced before any work starts on the site.
The measures include beginning the quarrying work outside the birds’ nesting season and ensuring activity is continuous, so the birds don’t nest in the site and then get disturbed once work starts up again.
Acoustic screening, silencers and bunds will be used to limit the impact of noise on stone curlews and lighting will face away from the surrounding areas.
Natural England does not oppose the application and officers feel this is important. However, Suffolk and Norfolk Wildlife Trusts remain against it due to the impact of vehicle emissions on sensitive habitats.
The new proposed access in the application is onto the Elveden Road, which has a one-way weight limit so HGVs leaving the quarry would only travel east along the Elveden Road towards the crossroad with the A134. This is part of Suffolk’s lorry route network.
Modelling suggests that the total number of HGV movements into and out of the quarry will be around 74 per day.
The report shows that round 30 to 40 percent of vehicles on Elveden Road every day are HGVs; this is between 634 and 845 HGVs.
A statement by county Cllr Joanna Spicer reads: “Elveden Road is totally unsuitable for any additional, as is Bury Road in Thetford.”
HGVs would gain access to the A11 by travelling along the Bury Road.
Barnham Parish Council, Thetford Town Council and Brandon Town Council also raised concerns about the proposed routes for HGVs, including the fact these include residential roads.
Of the 57 letters of objection from local residents, 43 refer to the route through Thetford from the quarry being along residential roads.
Highways England and the county’s highways authority stated they did not object to the proposals.
The officers’ report states: “The impact upon the local highway network and the amenity of those who live along that route is incremental only as those routes are already heavily used by HGVs.”
A quarry on the same site was granted planning permission in 2012 to supply the construction of the A11 Elveden bypass but other sources ended up being used.
Planning permission was also granted in 2015 to allow the use of aggregates from North Farm at Lignacite’s factory in Brandon, although the contract for this was never drawn up.