Suffolk councillors split on plans for a new quarry near Bungay
Plans would see an expansion to Flixton Park Quarry between Bungay and Harleston
Last updated 15th Sep 2023
Suffolk county councillors were torn this morning over the construction of a new quarry in Flixton.
The new quarry would be situated less than a kilometre to the north-east of Flixton village, and be part of the existing Flixton Park Quarry to the west, effectively sandwiching the village between the two developments.
The proposal aims to extract up to one million tonnes of sand and gravel over a five to six-year period as resources at the existing quarry are set to be exhausted this year.
As a resource, sand and gravel are essential raw materials used for building homes, roads, and other structures.
After the extraction, the plans outline the restoration of the site into two different bodies of water to be used as a private fishing and boating location.
Although the applicant, Breedon, believes the development would provide a public benefit which ‘outweighs the temporary harm’, the council remained split on how to deal with the application.
Councillors heard from an objector, Claire Anderson, the resident of Nursery Cottage, a historic 17th century property, situated just 17m from the proposed site.
Ms Anderson said: “My husband and I would like to object with every fibre of our being — this is not a public interest, this is not good for the community.
“How can a fishing lake be in the public benefit if it is proposed to be private?”
The concerns raised by Ms Anderson, however, were not shared by Cllr Stuart Bird.
He said: “This land is in private ownership now, the public don’t have access to it now, so what would they be deprived of?
“It would be a totally unreasonable condition to impose that the owners throw it open to public use.”
Nevertheless, when put to the councillors, Cllr Bird’s proposal to approve the application fell short of votes.
Similarly, a motion to reject the development proposed by Cllr Hike Sowa was left without a seconder.
With councillors torn on how to deal with the application, Cllr Jenny Ceresa, who chaired the meeting, was forced to use a ‘casting vote’ to defer the application for a site visit.
Cllr Richard Kemp, who proposed the deferral, said: “We sit here in judgment, we don’t know what suffering people have gone through with the previous application.
“As a planning committee, we have to give due respect to our communities and their representatives.
“I’m very unhappy and at this very moment I think we should defer the thing.”