'It would worsen living conditions’: Anger as residents battle quarry expansion plans
Dozens of objections against plans to extend quarry next to West Yorkshire housing estate
Nearly 70 objections have been lodged against proposals to extend a quarry next to a housing estate in a West Yorkshire town.
A mineral extraction company has applied to remove around 1.3m tonnes of limestone from the site in Knottingley.
Last month, Darrington Quarries Ltd (DQL) requested permission to carry out the work at an eight-hectare greenbelt site currently used as farmland.
The land is bordered by homes on the Warwick Estate, the M62, Ferrybridge Motorway Services, and properties being built as part of the Rainsborough Park residential development.
A total of 69 residents have submitted objections to the local authority, raising concerns that people living near to the site would be impacted by dust and noise pollution.
Opponents also cited the potential for “long-term environmental effects” due to the loss of agricultural land and wildlife habitats.
Five comments of support have been submitted by residents who said the development would help support jobs and businesses in the area.
DQL is owned by FCC Environment, one of the UK’s leading waste and resource management companies.
A planning statement submitted to the council said DQL quarried other areas nearby which straddled the border between Wakefield Council and North Yorkshire Council.
Reserves at the other sites are expected to be exhausted by 2030 but the proposed scheme would extend the life of the quarry for a further four years if approved.
Much of the extracted material would be used for concrete production and road building in West Yorkshire.
The site is within an area earmarked for a wider redevelopment masterplan aimed at regenerating Knottingley over the next 20 years.
The report said: “The granting of planning permission would ensure that safeguarded mineral resource is worked in a timely and appropriate manner.
“It is highly likely that if this opportunity is not taken the ability to extract the mineral will be lost forever.
“The granting of planning permission would also ensure that existing direct full-time equivalent jobs at the site, and the indirect jobs that in part are reliant upon the site, would be retained for an additional four years.
“The extended life of the quarry would inject revenue into both the national and local economy.”
The proposals include transporting material from the site on lorries via an access road to DQL’s processing plant at Cridling Stubbs, on the North Yorkshire side of the border.
Overhead power lines and underground pipes belonging to Yorkshire Water would need to be be relocated in order to fully complete the work.
The scheme also includes diverting a public right of way which crosses the land.
The report said “National planning policy states that minerals are essential to support sustainable economic growth and our quality of life.
“It is therefore important that there is a sufficient and continuous supply of minerals to provide the infrastructure, buildings, energy and goods that our country needs.”
The applicant plans to restore the site to a ‘bowl shape’ for agricultural use once extraction has been completed.
A further statement accompanying the application said the scheme “would not give rise to significant environmental effects.”
One opponent of the scheme commented on the council’s planning website: “I feel the quarry would have a detrimental affect on the whole neighbourhood.
“There would be increased traffic with lorries moving to and from the site, as well as noise and dust being created.
“The dust created could have an impact on people’s health. The area is currently fields so could affect wildlife in the local area.”
Another objector said the plan was “inconsistent with Wakefield Council’s public health priorities,” adding: “Knottingley already experiences high levels of deprivation and poorer health outcomes, including respiratory conditions.
“Increasing noise, dust, and pollution risks worsening existing health inequalities and undermining efforts to improve residents’ health and wellbeing.”
A third objector commented: “Residents already experience constant noise from the nearby motorway, and the addition of quarry operations, machinery, and heavy vehicle movements would significantly worsen living conditions and reduce quality of life for families on the estate.”
One resident in favour of the scheme said: “Anything that isn’t housing is a bonus.”
The Environment Agency, the council’s public health team, Natural England and National Highways have raised no objections to the plan, which is yet to be determined by planning officers