Quarry consultation gathering pace

The public interest in massive quarrying proposals in southern Staffordshire is gathering pace. The danger with the next few months of consultation is that those affected miss the chance to make their views known.

The process is long and somewhat complicated and because any actual quarrying may be as long as 15 years away, even if it were approved, the risk is people being ‘put off’ from dealing with it now. But it’s the early stages of consultation which are hugely important because the strategic decisions made in the next year or so on where and how much aggregate extraction can take place in Staffordshire will be set in stone for the next decade and a half.

And public lethargy or misunderstanding the importance of this is something I’m trying hard to counter. There are several quarry proposals around Lichfield and Tamworth and by far the biggest is the one at Buck’s Head Farm near Weeford. I’m hopeful that the wide interest in that proposal so far is an indication that most people will make their views known to the County.

I’ve done a fair bit of publicity, some radio and tv and also managed to get good newspaper coverage including some front pages and local people do appear fully engaged with the process. Fifty or so people have registered for emailed quarry updates from me and a public meeting held in Weeford today was exceptionally well attended.

The latest twist is that the whole consultation process has been put back by a few months. I raised concerns with the County that a key decision of core principles was due to be made in March next year, just ten weeks before the County elections. In my view it should be the new County administration, whichever Political Party that is, which makes strategic decisions like whether Staffordshire continues to provide nearly two thirds of all quarrying in the West Midlands Region.

Surprisingly, the Labour Cabinet Member appears to have agreed and so things have been put back. If Conservatives do win the County election it is likely to mean a different approach to the quarry strategy in Staffordshire. Register for quarry updates here.

Click here to comment on this post