Decision on future of quarrying at henges site delayed
Submitted by PaulM on Friday, 17 September 2004 Page Views: 1531
Site Watch
Quarry firm Tarmac wants to extend its sand and gravel extractions at Ladybridge Farm, close to the historic site. But the proposals have caused widespread protests among archaeological campaign groups.
Heritage Action and Friends of Thornborough have organised a letter writing campaign to North Yorkshire County Council, who will decide on the issue.
The council's planning department has now received 600 letters of objection and 40 letters of support and a preliminary report of the plans was set to go before council committee next month.
It was originally thought that councillors would then undertake a site visit, possibly in December, but both Tarmac and English Heritage are now collecting further archaeological information regarding the site.
As a result, a new public consultation process will have to follow early next year.
Chris Jarvis, of North Yorkshire County Council's Planning and Countryside Unit, confirmed the delay this week.
He said: "The archaeological information being collected all forms part of the consultation process and it is going to be some time before we get anywhere.
"We have a statutory role to fulfil set out by the Government and that is that if further information is requested the planning application cannot yet be determined."
Heritage Action and the Friends of Thornborough's Mr George Chaplin had urged the council not to make any decision until Tarmac had completed their archaeological investigations at the site.
But Mr Jarvis said: "It is not a case of 'shall we make a decision before all of the information is available' – we can't."
Mr Rob Moore, company estates manager for Tarmac Northern, said it is usual with planning applications of this nature for the planning authority to seek additional information on a wide range of issues.
He added: "Among the additional information that we will be providing is a detailed archaeological evaluation of the Ladybridge Farm site following the completion of investigations involving geophysical surveys, field walking, test pitting, trial excavations, sieving and sampling."
"This evaluation was proposed in the environmental impact assessment that we submitted as part of our application and is designed to provide the county council and other interested parties with an accurate picture of the archaeological make up of the Ladybridge site."
Among those opposed to any further quarrying is top archaeologist Aubrey Burl, who likened Tarmac's plans to "dropping Stonehenge into the River Avon".
The Council for British Archaeology (CBA) and the Yorkshire Archaeological Society (YAS) also oppose the plans and the issue has been featured in The Times, The Guardian and on BBC Radio Five.
Mr Chaplin said Thornborough is now the target for growing international concern and he warned Tarmac and its parent company Anglo American Plc that they "need to think carefully how this (their application) is going to impact on their international reputation."
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