Leicestershire’s Bardon Hill Quarry will live for at least 40 more years

Preserved woodland surrounds an entry road into the Bardon Hill estate.

Aggregates Industries recognizes the impact of its quarrying activities upon the landscape, the environment and the community living in the surrounding area. In line with this approach, planning for the quarry extension was done thoroughly and lasted for four years during which local opinion was taken into account and, in general, everything was done in order to minimize this impact during and after exploitation of the quarry.

The extension area lies to the south-east of the existing quarry and covers an area of almost 500 hectares.

Looking down into Bardon Hill Quarry

Sensitive planning

Before the planning application was submitted to the Leicestershire County Council in December 2009, Aggregate Industries invited people to attend exhibitions, where it provided the opportunity to express opinions. It also met with residents to look in detail at the impact of the proposals on individual properties. These ‘one on one visits’ especially gave Aggregate Industries a better understanding of the environment and the community’s concerns. Based on the feedback received, it made a number of changes to its submission.

From the outset of its planning, consultants have been undertaking monitoring and environmental assessments for all potential impacts operations could have and worked out mitigation solutions to bring them to an absolute minimum. The result: The benefits to employment, the local economy, the wider economy, local biodiversity and amenity are considered to outweigh the impacts upon the local area. In the long term, restoration plans could widen the benefits for biodiversity over a much larger area and provide the public with better access to intact nature.

Credible actions convinced stakeholders

Based on the assessment undertaken, Aggregate Industries planned measures to deliver on its promises. These try to consider all areas and parties concerned. While some are about to be implemented, others are already in full swing.

Woodland and natural areas which are to be increased.

The measures include a landscaping option that minimizes the visual impact on the proposed extension area, new cycle routes, bridleways and footpaths and the installation of the least visually intrusive conveyor belt option. It will see the conveyor route operate through a tunnel.

Noise and vibration will remain the same as they are around the current quarrying operation. Monitoring gauges that have been installed around the current extraction area have shown that there will be no adverse impact or change in the air quality.

A Frisbee dust gauge measuring levels of dust at Bardon Hill Quarry

Residents and other interested persons that wanted to know what the proposed extension will look like, could get an impression through the use of a photomontage, a ‘fly-through’, that was provided at an exhibition and was very popular with visitors.

Bottom line

Aggregate Industries’ demonstration of careful planning and credible actions convinced residents and other external parties likewise that expanding the quarry in Coalville brings about more benefits than costs for all parties involved.