CAMPAIGNERS against the reopening of a quarry near Silsden have sprung into action again after learning a withdrawn planning applicaiton has been resubmitted.

Permission is being sought for Horn Crag Quarry, off Fishbeck Lane, to start operations again to harvest a 'proven locally distinctive building stone resource' and transport 520,000 tonnes of stone away using HGVs, every day except Sunday, for the next 20 years.

The plans were first lodged wtih Bradford Council in March last year and caused uproar among locals. They were withdrawn in June and resubmitted on March 7 this year. 

Campaigners against the plans said the quarry was last used in the 1980s but was now a haven for wildlife.

A spokesman for the campaign group said: "Our action group is made up of local residents and business owners, representatives of environmental organisations, and people of Silsden and the surrounding area who are appalled at the threat to the local environment posed by this proposal.

"The quarry covers 15 acres of rural land near the Cringles and Addingham Moorside. It is a vital haven for wildlife, including migrating and seasonal birds, reptiles, deer, bats and badgers. It is also the source of several springs and water courses, which supply the houses and businesses in the immediate vicinity with fresh water. This supply will inevitably be disrupted by quarrying. Crucially, the quarry is a key part of the buffer zone for the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on the moor side."

The group said the applicant is based in Leyburn and there would be no local employment created as the firm says its existing workforce will be travelling to the site daily.

The spokesman added: "All the stone will be leaving the site and being transported to Leyburn in 40 tonne HGVs, up to five times a day. The roads and the environment around the proposed site (Brown Bank Lane and Fishbeck Lane) are wholly unsuitable for this level of heavy goods vehicles, being not more than single lane, unmaintained tracks in places. In short, the quarry would offer no benefits to the local area at all, but massively increase disruption, pollution, and damage to the immediate environment through HGV traffic.

"Equally destructive, will be the effect that quarrying (with the inevitable noise and dust) has on the existing businesses and residents in the immediate area of Fishbeck Lane and Brown Bank Lane. There are a number of livestock premises adjacent to the proposed site, including equestrian centres that will be forced to close if this proposal succeeds, which is unfair and totally unacceptable. Residents’ quality of life will be severely negatively impacted by the noise and pollution from the quarrying process itself and the constant movement of HGVs along their small, rural roads.

"Many of the outcomes in the proposal will be in direct contravention of Bradford Council’s own statements of intent regarding its green agenda and the metrics it uses for planning permission. We intend to fight this damaging, polluting and unfair proposal and we appeal to Bradford Council to reject it once more, and put environmental protection, and the rights of local residents, businesses and tax payers, above a company from miles away that offers us nothing but damage, disruption and pollution."

The resubmission addendum from applicants AD Calvert, Acrhitectural Stone Supplies Ltd, reads: A planning application was submitted to Bradford Metropolitan District Council in March 2022. Some consultee comments requested additional studies be carried out and officers advised that they would move to determine the application before these studies could be completed. Therefore, the application was withdrawn on June 10th 2022 to allow enough time for the winter ecological studies that were requested by the council to take place.

"The council’s ecologist requested that additional surveys should be carried out including a detailed botanical survey during the growing season, a bat hibernation survey, a breeding and passage bird survey between March and September and a full badger survey.

"An Ecological Impact Assessment was also requested and has been included. These additional surveys did not change the conclusions drawn in the initial surveys carried out. The Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) was produced after all ecological surveys had been carried out. The EcIA recommended mitigation measures to be put in place before, during and after mineral extraction. The EcIA concluded “Given the implementation of the mitigations it is anticipated that the proposals will comply with the relevant policy and legislation relating to wildlife and ecology [and] will be able to address most significant effects resulting from the development”. The EcIA reiterated the net-gain in biodiversity expected from the proposals. 2.3. The EcIA recommends the production of a Biodiversity Management Plan and a Construction Environmental Management Plan which would be required by planning condition."

The report states other studies carried out include noise and states: "Any blasting has been removed from the proposals, which addresses one of Environmental Health’s noise consultee comment."

Additional studies have included further landscape views, details of biodiversiry net-gain, water source pollution concerns, a speed survey on behalf of Highways and dust risk assessment.

The full planning application can be found at: https://bit.ly/3GBsBXz

No date has been set yet for determination of the application.