CONTROVERSIAL plans for a huge gravel quarry in Worcestershire have been on the table for nearly two years, but still no decision has been taken.
Plans to dig up thousands of tons of material at Bow Farm, Ripple, near Upton, were first sent to Worcestershire County Council back in 2019, and despite an avalanche of responses from residents and councillors, no decision has yet been taken on approving or rejecting the site.
The plans, submitted to the council by M C Cullimore (Gravels) seek permission to dig up the sand and gravel from land at Bow Farm in Ripple.
The work, scheduled to get underway this year, is supposed to take until 2028, and will see more than 1.5 million tons of gravel pulled out of the ground.
According to the application, the land will be restored to wetlands, nature conservation and agriculture once work is finished.
The application site comprises approximately 65 hectares of land at Bow Farm in Bow Lane. The site straddles the administrative boundaries of Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.
Approximately 55 hectares of land lies within Worcestershire with the remaining 10 located within Gloucestershire.
Approximately 45 hectares of the land is proposed for mineral extraction, worked in a number of phases and progressively restored.
All of the land is owned by the applicant and is bound to the north by the M50 and to the east by Bow Lane.
Residents of nearby Ripple have voiced their opposition to the plans, saying the noise and traffic caused by work vehicles, as well as the dust created by the work, will affect their quality of life.
Ripple Parish Council also recommended refusal of the plans, with their submission to the county council saying: “RPC recognise the importance of maintaining mineral supplies but this should be from sites where proposals do so in the most environmentally and sympathetic manner and which, in this case scenario, both mitigate and decrease the risk of flooding.
“Proposals should not adversely affect the health and welfare of local residents, business, and recreational facilities, and fully comply with Planning Statements.”
A county council spokesman said: “Following consideration of comments received about this application and the environmental statement, we wrote to the applicant requesting further information. The applicant submitted additional details on 8 March 2021, and we are now seeking further comments in relation to this supplementary information, up until 14 May.”
The earliest meeting it could be considered at is July 6.
The full planning application can be viewed at e-planning.worcestershire.gov.uk/ using the planning reference 19/000048/CM