Our Position On…

Fisherwick Quarry Proposal

WHITTINGTON & FISHERWICK ENVIRONMENT GROUP STATEMENT UPON THE MINERALS CORE STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT PLAN: CONSULTATION ON ISSUES & OPTIONS (2) – published by Staffs. County Council, September 2008.

Whittington & Fisherwick Environment Group (WFEG) recognise that there may always be a varying requirement to meet the needs of the construction industry for raw materials, but WFEG doesn’t support the presumption that any or all of this has to be solely derived by the extraction of aggregates from the natural environment.

WFEG would suggest that a greater proportion of such material should and could be sourced by prudent and effective recycling of existing materials and waste which in turn would reduce to a minimum the type of environmental damage that would be caused by any of the proposed extractions contained within the Staffs Minerals Core Strategy Development Plan (MCSD).

The MCSD presumes a continuing level of requirement for minerals / aggregates based upon future projections that are highly likely to be incorrect in the current economic climate. It also presumes that such extraction continue to be sourced disproportionately from within Staffordshire and puts no reasonable basis forward as to why this should be the case.

The MCSD also implies that it is entirely acceptable to approve and undertake such extraction on the presumption that at some time in the future the resultant desecration to the environment, the disruption, loss of amenity and quality of life to the local populace and the effects upon the flora and fauna can somehow be recompensed in the longer term by ameliorating the damage. The evidence locally suggests that even if this were proven to be the case, which is extremely doubtful, there is no statutory guarantee that the extraction companies will honour agreements to undertake such nor the Public Bodies charged with ‘policing’ this will in fact do so.

WFEG is therefore of the firm belief that the proposals as they stand do not form a sound basis upon which Staffordshire County Council should make decisions upon future mineral extraction in Staffordshire and WFEG will, as it deems necessary, lobby upon this basis.

Update April 2010

At a meeting of the Regional Assembly in Lichfield on Wednesday 17th March 2010, it was agreed that Staffordshire’s contribution to the regional sand and gravel quota for the West Midlands would fall from 65% to 55%. That equated to an annual 1 million tonne reduction over the next decade. This meant that the newly agreed quota could be fully met from existing quarry works, albeit it was theoretically possible for the industry to seek a Judicial Review upon the decision.

Common sense, environmental considerations, and a recognition that the world is changing as well as more recycling of aggregates and changes in the building industry are all factors that produced the outcome.

However the baseline upon which WFEG formulated its statement about the MCSD have not changed and would be equally applicable should a similar situation arise in the future.