Decision on controversial Hamble quarry plans delayed again
It would be based at the site of a former airfield
People living within metres of a proposed new quarry will have to carry on waiting for a decision as the council is still unable to provide a date for when it might make a decision.
Hampshire County Council said the high volume of representations and documents received over Cemex’s quarry application have delayed the application and it is unable to provide a date for the meeting.
Hamble residents have already been waiting for more than two years for a decision on the quarry, which, if approved, would be less than 70 metres from homes and within 160 metres of two schools. Locals said this could be detrimental to children’s health.
Plans to develop the quarry in the former Hamble Airfield were first submitted in December 2021 and a public consultation saw more than 2,000 residents, health centres, schools, the Royal Yachting Association and the borough council object to the plan.
Among the objections, the Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist Danielle Rowe nee King submitted her concerns over the plans and the impact on the community.
Villagers raised concerns over the increase in air pollution and the consequences for those living next to the airfield, with issues such as traffic increases, safety, loss of trees, flooding, and road surface impact.
According to the Cemex, an area of 60.4 hectares – equivalent to 84 football pitches – would extract 1.7 million tons of sand and gravel, approximately 250,000 tons annually.
In addition, the company would pay an aggregate levy of £2 per tonne for each tonne of aggregate extracted. The quarry plans to extract 250,000 tons a year and, therefore, would pay in the region of £500,000 in aggregate levy yearly to HM Revenue and Customs.
At the Hampshire County Council budget meeting this week, Cllr Tonia Craig said that delaying the decision for this application is “unacceptable” for the community.
She urged the executive lead member for universal services, Councillor Nick Adams-King, to confirm that the decision will be included in the next regulatory committee meeting, which will take the final decision over the application.
Cllr Adams-King said that the application had produced a significant level of interest in the community, with both the community’s representations and Cemex’s information contributing to the delay.
Cllr Adams-King said: “I know that the residents of Hamble have been waiting a long time for the application to reach the committee. I can assure you that officers are working hard to achieve this. The application is a complex one with additional information being necessary on many aspects. That has required further consultation to ensure all stakeholders can respond.
“The application has, understandably, attracted significant residents’ attention, which has led to a large volume of representations, all of which need to be reviewed, redacted and published. These representations, alongside all the information submitted by the applicant and statutory consultees, need to be considered and reflected in the report.
“We are unable to confirm a regulatory committee date at this time, but the intention is to be very soon. All those who made a representation will be notified of the meeting date, and the report will be published seven days before the committee meeting.”
However, Cllr Craig, despite understanding that a high level of interest has resulted in an increased workload for officers, said that in these cases, these types of applications could be refused under delegated powers.
Delegated powers mean planning officers can decide applications. In this case, the planning officer will usually write a report outlining all of the planning considerations and recommend approving or refusing the application and detailing any conditions and planning obligations.
Cllr Craig said: “If this had been in any other application, it would’ve been refused under delegate powers due to the lack of information. Is it not about time this was done the same?
“I know it is a complex case, but it’s over two years, and most applications waiting half this time would’ve been refused under delegated powers.”
Cllr Adams-King was unable to address the question.
The next regulatory committee scheduled on the county council agenda is set to be on March 20.