Public given their say on quarry expansion
Cragmill Quarry at Belford.
PROPOSALS to expand Cragmill Quarry near Belford will go on show next month to offer members of the public a chance to provide feedback.
With less than six years worth of permitted mineral extraction remaining, owner CEMX wants to expand the 17-hectare site, which has been in operation since the 1930s and lies approximately 700 metres north of the centre of Belford.
The nearest properties are Home Farm and Belford Hall to the south and a group of properties known as Chesters to the north.
The proposal for a rail-siding depot at Easington Farm would also allow for mineral to be transported by rail as well as road.
Before submitting a formal planning application, CEMEX is holding its public consultation event at the Blue Bell Hotel on Wednesday, March 13, between 2pm and 8pm, to gauge community opinion.
A leaflet will be available at the meeting explains more about the proposals. It reads: “At Cragmill Quarry, 200,000 tonnes of processed aggregates are produced each year, involving an average of 30 lorries leaving the site per day.
“Within the site a low-level mobile crushing and screening plant is located close to the working face on the quarry floor.
“Blasting at the site takes place approximately every three weeks and will continue to be closely monitored to comply with noise and vibration limits.
“The hours of operation proposed are unchanged and are 6am to 7pm Monday to Friday and 6am to 1pm on Saturdays.
“A separate application will be submitted alongside the quarry extension application for a rail siding depot half-a-mile from the site. If approved, the rail siding will allow sustainable transport of premium grade products to a wider market.”
Information is also given about how the quarry will be restored once the six years is up.
“It is intended that Cragmill Quarry will largely be restored to a water body with varying degrees of sloped lake margins, reed beds, scree slopes and tree planting.
“A good, local example of CEMEX restoration can be seen at Branton Lakes near Powburn, a former sand and gravel quarry where we have worked closely with Northumberland Wildflife Trust.”
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Weather for Berwick-Upon-Tweed
Thursday 23 May 2013
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