Key Objections

Here are some facts about the gravel pit/concrete plant.

TRAFFIC PROBLEMS AND SAFETY CONCERNS

– 110 heavy goods lorries per day – that’s an HGV journey every 6 minutes, 6 days a week

– Size of lorries is a key concern – traffic flow, safety, intimidation

– Make existing terrible congestion worse: Clifton Hampden/Bridge/Abingdon bottlenecks

– Safety outside schools, at site entrance and through villages

– Intimidation and safety of pedestrians and cyclists

– On top of cumulative development – how much must we take?

FLOODING CONCERNS

– The quarry is entirely sited in the Thames floodplain

– Roads may be closed more frequently, and for longer

– Homes in Clifton Hampden and Appleford vulnerable to flooding

– Flood risk means fewer screening bunds = worse visual impact

– More land dug open to allow for flooding = worse visual impact

– Other sites are available outside of the floodplain

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT BLIGHT

– Desecrating the Oxford Green Belt

– Significant impact on existing quality of landscape

– Ancient hedgerows, protected trees and natural habitats lost

– Loss of amenity: rights of way will be diverted and open views of countryside landscape will be lost

– Tranquillity of River Thames path, a National Trail, will be lost

– Quarry will be highly visible from all directions, including AONB, as full screening bunds not permitted

NO DEMAND FOR A NEW QUARRY

– OCC Minerals Strategy not agreed and under challenge

– Granting planning permission ahead of a new strategy is premature

– There is no need for a new quarry in Oxfordshire

– Existing quarries could supply Oxfordshire’s gravel needs for 18+ years

– Demand for gravel in long-term decline, despite economic growth

– Quarry application driven solely by Hills’ own commercial interests

BETTER ALTERNATIVE SITES AVAILABLE

– Sites should be chosen as part of overall Minerals Strategy

– Better alternative sites under assessment – 2 near Wallingford

• With better traffic access, not through villages
• With no risk of flooding
• Closer to point of resource need
• Not in Green Belt
• With lower potential impact on landscape and residents

– Proposed site is 160 metres from Culham Science Centre, a major employment provider

LONG-TERM DISRUPTION

– Hills are buying land for a 25-year quarry

– Extending quarry sites is common practice in Oxfordshire

– Hills have extended their site at Tubney Woods twice

– Operating hours: 11 hours a day, 5 days a week, 6 hours on Saturday

– Restoration may not be seen for 25 years or so