Hamble: Controversial quarry proposal rejected by planners
Campaigners were concerned about noise, traffic and air pollution
A controversial plan to turn an old airfield in Hamble into a quarry has been unanimously rejected after a six-hour meeting of planning chiefs.
Hundreds of people headed to Winchester to protest against the Hamble quarry application being discussed by Hampshire County Council.
Residents and children from Hamble School and Hamble Primary School were protesting in front of the council building.
Those objections included one schoolboy questioning why you would build a quarry next to a school as you wouldn’t build a school next to a quarry. Concerns over air quality and traffic were also raised by the local community as they rallied against the plans.
The application, which CEMEX submitted two and a half years ago, received a staggering 5,744 objections and at the meeting, Hamble residents witnessed individuals expressing why the quarry should be refused.
Among them, Eastleigh’s MP Paul Holmes said that he didn’t expect to make a statement supporting the recommendation. However, he was disappointed that important reasons for the refusal were “left behind”.
Mr Holmes highlighted that the planning inspector recognised that there are “huge congestion problems in the Hamble peninsula, even before the additional pressure that this quarry would add”.
Therefore, Mr Holmes suggested that council officers added an extra recommendation under highway impact since that would generate additional pressure on three emergency services located in the area: the Hamble independent lifeboat station, fuel terminal and Hampshire Constabulary.
He also said that police and crime commissioner Donna Jones, also submitted her objection on behalf of Hampshire Constabulary in December, which, according to him, was not included in the report.
“Schools, residents and businesses will be impacted by this development. I want to reiterate that this application will see a quarry less than 110 metres from the secondary school and, in some cases, less than 50 metres and less than 160 metres from a primary school.
“Councillors have the responsibility to listen to their residents and their people. To not do so is an abdication of their responsibility.
He added that “people of Hamble must be heard, and this ridiculous, inappropriate and outdated application must be rejected”.
On behalf of Hamble Parish Council, Steve Tilburn said that the airfield “was and is not” a place for a quarry, “not now, not ever”.
Professor Sir Stephen Holgate, a global expert in respiratory medicine, allergies, asthma, and air pollution, said that research about the impact of air pollution on human health has increased significantly in the last decade.
He said that particles penetrate “every single part of the body and could initiate asthma, accelerate and cause death for asthma.”
He added: “We now know these particles can penetrate the brain, exacerbating cardiovascular dementia”.
“The proximity of this development to where people go to school, work and play is simply not acceptable.”
The most impactful representation was from Oscar Hill, a student from the Hamble School and resident of the Hamble area for more than seven years. He said that while he is in Year 11 and would not experience the consequences of the quarry, his brother would.
“I’m deeply upset by how our future will be affected due to the issues outlined today. Over 90 per cent of the students are deeply concerned over this proposal. We get to school either by crossing the field or cycling along Hamble Lane.
“Currently, when lorries pass, it can be scary because some sections are very narrow. I’m scared for the safety of my family and students.
“I have high aspirations to be successful in life. The Hamble School provided me with excellent education … if the quarry gets built, other students won’t have the same chances because the school won’t be able to recruit high-quality staff.
“Hamble is absolutely the wrong location; you would not build a school next to a quarry, so why would you build a quarry next to a school?”
Alongside him, the chair of Governors, Hannah Craggs, stated that the “quality of learning” and “every single lesson” would be impacted as a result of the quarry, which would be unacceptable for all children in the area.
On behalf of CEMEX, Emma Pearman said that despite the company’s understanding of residents’ concerns and objections, “they are not based on facts”. This statement raised ironic laughs and hoots.
They also said that the company has other quarries in the country located next to schools.
They added that sand gravel is necessary for all businesses and constructions, like school buildings, that Hamble Airfield is the best option for a quarry in the south of Hampshire and that the company is a “good neighbour in every community”.
After the 10 representations, the committee meeting debated the proposal and the recommendations for refusal. Some of them were amended without the support of all councillors since they could not be defended adequately in case of appeal.
Lisa Kirby, a council planning officer, said they have presented “robust recommendations” to the committee to refuse the application.
After that, councillors were called to vote, and they unanimously voted in support of the recommendations to refuse the CEMEX application for the quarry development in the former Hamble Airfield.
Hampshire County Council will now write to the secretary of state to advise him of its decision and ask them to confirm that the application be refused. The council said that it is not in place to determine how long that would take.