70 YEARS OF ACCEPTANCE BUT ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

For 70 years, our community has acknowledged and accepted the necessity of sand & gravel extraction and processing machinery operations within our Parish boundaries. We have witnessed the excavation and destruction of our landscape, endured the adverse effects of quarry operations and accepted impacts including amplified local quarry traffic, persistent noise and dust pollution, as well as intrusive light pollution. Delayed and protracted ongoing restoration efforts have spanned decades, the scars on our landscape persist. It is a poignant realisation that after seven decades, we find ourselves still grappling with these challenges. Enough is Enough!

Regrettably, the LCC preferred approach to adopt SG17 will mean the quarry will be less than 200 metres from villagers homes, with the intrusive presence of a processing plant adjacent to our village. Even the most thorough restoration efforts cannot fully undo the profound impacts inflicted upon our local communities, encompassing both detrimental health effects and severe environmental consequences. These sites present an elevated level of threats to the well-being of individuals, river health, local ecosystems, and the broader environment. Their operation, expected to span two to three decades, six days a week, would result in nearly a century of continuous quarrying within our Parish, amounting to 75% of our Parish subjected to disturbance, destruction and permanent change. Surely, there must be limits on the burdens imposed upon a community and the extent to which their environment is detrimentally affected. The pursuit of profit should never come at the expense of the quality of life and the environment we cherish.