Peak Park to defend 'dormant' Stanton Moor quarries in High Court

Submitted by PaulM on Thursday, 13 May 2004 Page Views: 1601

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The Peak District National Park Authority is to defend its listing of the Endcliffe and Lees Cross Quarries at Stanton Moor as dormant. The quarries were listed as dormant under the 1995 Environment Act because there had been no significant working in them for many years.

Now Stancliffe Stone is making a legal challenge in the High Court against the listing.

The National Park Authority is determined to defend the challenge, even though the legal costs of doing so could be high, in order to uphold its primary purpose to protect the Peak District's special qualities.

The Authority believes that this course of action is essential to reduce the risk of environmental harm to an area of high landscape value that includes the nationally important archaeological and historical interest of Stanton Moor Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Councillor John Bull, who chairs the Authority's Planning Committee, said: "It is absolutely crucial to establish the legal status of the quarries as this affects our ability to impose modern working conditions on the operations based on the existing planning permission which dates back to 1952.

"If we do not defend the challenge the quarries will be deemed to be 'active' making it more difficult to impose any conditions to limit the effects of quarrying. Future working could then lead to significant environmental damage and disturbance to communities living nearby.

"Once the issue is resolved we can consider the quarry company's submission for determination of working conditions at a future planning committee meeting."

The Authority has just received confirmation that the High Court hearing will take place in London on 18th and 19th May 2004.

Source: The Peak District National Park

Contributor Bio for PaulM: Based in Macclesfield, contributing since 2002. Favourite site: Hordron Edge. Occupation: Something in waste and recycling.

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