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Quarry plan for Ladybridge site near Thornborough Henges Yorkshire (North)

Submitted by PaulM on Thursday, 28 August 2008  Page Views: 9275

Site Watch

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Country: England County: Yorkshire (North) Type: Henge

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Thornborough Central
Thornborough Central submitted by DavidRaven : Sky over Thornborough Central Henge. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Tarmac Northern are currently quarrying nearby Nosterfield Quarry and have applied to quarry Ladybridge Farm – half a mile away from the Henges – next year.

The quarry firm categorically stated this week that it has no intention to extract sand and gravel from Thornborough Moor – home of the historic Thornborough Henges – in the next 10 years.

The application has upset archaeological campaigners who say Ladybridge Farm is part of the Henges setting and fear Thornborough Moor may be next on Tarmac's list.

But on Wednesday Tarmac revealed that they will "not be seeking Thornborough Moor to be included for allocation in the forthcoming review of North Yorkshire County Council's minerals local plan."

The review covers the next ten year period and is designed to ensure that the county can meet its supply quota to the local construction industry.

Tarmac Northern company estates manager Rob Moore said the decision was taken after listening to concerns expressed by local people.

He said: "Some had mistakenly believed that the Henges were under threat from the imminent minerals local plan review and believed that this allocation would be tantamount to permission to extract sand and gravel from beneath Thornborough Moor.

"We have said time and time again and repeat that the Henges, which are scheduled ancient monuments within a scheduled protection zone, are not threatened by quarrying.

"We hope that this move will help to allay any fears and confusion that people may have in relation to our current planning application, remove the perception that there is time pressure to conserve the henges and allow time for a full conservation plan study for the Henges."

George Chaplin, chairman of campaign group TimeWatch, said the news was "welcomed" but questioned Tarmac's commitment to staying away from Thornborough Moor long term.

"What we would like is an uncomplicated, unambiguous statement from Tarmac saying they have no intention ever of quarrying Thornborough Moor. That should be pretty straightforward," he said.

While John Lowry, chairman of the Friends of Thornborough, said Tarmac's revelation was "reassuring", he added: "It is not relevant to the Ladybridge Farm application which is our main concern - I think it is a bit of a red herring.

"I suppose it is re-assuring but we were never too worried about Thornborough Moor - the chances of Tarmac being given permission to quarry Thornborough Moor are pretty damn remote now that we have raised the profile.

"They could never quarry right up to the Henges - they are internationally important recognised monuments."

The company will provide updated reports on archaeology, ecology and the proposals for Ladybridge Farm which, they say, have been substantially revised.

Source: Nidderale Today For more on the Thornboroungh struggle see our page here

Note: Update: Planning permission granted for Ladybridge site, see comment
Contributor Bio for PaulM: Based in Macclesfield, contributing since 2002. Favourite site: Hordron Edge. Occupation: Something in waste and recycling.

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"Quarry plan for Ladybridge site near Thornborough Henges" | Login/Create an Account | 11 News and Comments
  
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Re: Quarry plan for Ladybridge site near Thornborough Henges by Anonymous on Sunday, 18 July 2010
NO COMPANY LOOKING TO CONTINUE TO DIG THE EARTH FOR PROFIT SHOULD BE ALLOWED ANYWHERE NEAR OUR ANCIENT AND SPIRITUAL PAST AS IT IS THE FOUNDATION OF OUR BELONGING AND OUR SELVES.- MORRIGAN RHEGED- MORECAMBE, LANCASHIRE.
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Tarmac wins bid to quarry at Ladybridge by Andy B on Thursday, 28 August 2008
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Open minutes of the 29th meeting held at 10:30am on Wednesday 9 May 2007 at The Renaissance Chancery Court Hotel, London WC1

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/upload/pdf/EHAC_May_07_open_minutes.pdf

Agreement had been reached on proposals to extract gravel at
Ladybridge Farm, between English Heritage, North Yorkshire County
Council and Tarmac Ltd. EH had withdrawn its original objection on
the grounds that the nationally important archaeology at Ladybridge
Farm was excluded from revised development proposals. Planning
permission was granted in January 2007 and a Section 106 agreement
between Tarmac, the landowner and North Yorkshire County Council was
agreed in April.

The 106 agreement has secured a full archaeological
mitigation and publication strategy and the development of a long
term management agreement for the area of excluded nationally
important archaeology. EH staff are now working with North Yorkshire
County Council, Tarmac and other key stakeholders on the development
of a wider vision and management strategy for the Henges and their
landscape.

George adds:

In otherwords, following the defeat of their previous planning
application, Tarmac and English Heritage got together behind closed
doors and without the involvement of any local campaigners.

Following that meeting English Heritage made the following u-turns:

1. They decided that a 2% survey of the site was now satisfactory,
having objected earlier that a survey of 8-10 was the minimum
required for a Neolithic/Bronze Age site. Industry guidelines state 8-
10% and a 2% survey carried out on exactly the same archaeological
profile (50m away) having prevously proven to totally miss "the
largest concentration of Neolithic features of this type so far
discovered in the north of England).

To help EH with their u-turn Tarmac agreed to sample a further 4% of
the site, but only within the area they knew they were going to
exclude from the quarry application.

2. Despite having argued previously that archaeological sites of
national importance such as that found on Ladybridge had to have
their setting preserved, English Heritage then decided that the site
of Ladybridge needed no setting other than a boundary.

3. Having agreed with Tarmac that the area to the north was
waterlogged during the Neolithic Period, English Heritage then
ignored the substantial and now widely acknowledged evidence that
during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages watery sites were the target for
ritual activity. They decided to agree with Tarmac that the water
meant there would be no archaeology on the rest of the site.

4. All of this was done without any form of consultation with local
people or campaign groups.

5. This u-turn was critical and instrumental in getting the planning
permission granted. Without it, the application would have been
rejected.

[ Reply to This ]

Re: Tarmac wins bid to quarry at Ladybridge by Anonymous on Thursday, 28 August 2008
Can you hear the tears as our ancestors cry at our utter disregard for their most important of sites? This is a sacred landscape and should be left as such for eternity.
Tarmac only cares if it is green, wrinkly and has a picture of the queens head on it. I have nothing but utter disgust for Tarmac and all who sail in her. I hope the good ship Tarmac runs aground with the loss of all crew.

Is there anything else we can do?

[ Reply to This ]
    Re: Tarmac wins bid to quarry at Ladybridge by Anonymous on Sunday, 18 July 2010
    we can call on the ancients to protect as well as acting ourselves to make this more noticeable and fight the good fight.-morrigan rheged-morecambe, lancashire
    [ Reply to This ]

Tarmac wins bid to quarry at Ladybridge by Andy B on Thursday, 28 August 2008
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A quarry company’s controversial planning application has finally received approval.

But those opposed to Tarmac’s plans for Ladybridge Farm, near the Thornborough Henges, vowed to fight on.

Tarmac currently runs Nosterfield Quarry but wants to extract 1.1m tonnes of sand and gravel from Ladybridge Farm.

Permission was granted in January 2007 but the decision was quashed when the Friends of Thornborough Henges (FOTH) accused North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) of not going through the proper procedures.

Tarmac re-submitted the application, along with up to date archaeology, hydrology and environmental reports and yesterday it was approved by nine members of the planning committee.

They agreed with council officers that there was no archaeological reason for not granting permission and recognised Tarmac’s extensive efforts to prove this. They also praised its award-winning restoration of the Nosterfield site.

John Lowry, chair of FOTH, spoke against the plan, saying officers had given "inadequate and misleading advice" to members.

He said the cumulative effects of allowing the plan had not been addressed, alternatives to quarrying were not considered, and Tarmac’s assertion that there was a shortage of sand and gravel in the county was a "calculated manipulation".

More at
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/local/northyorks/3623500.Tarmac_wins_bid_to_quarry_at_Ladybridge/
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Re: Planning permission granted for quarry on Ladybridge site by Andy B on Thursday, 28 August 2008
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More information at

http://www.friendsofthornborough.org.uk/

http://www.tarmac.co.uk/nosterfield/future.html

[ Reply to This ]

Planning permission granted for quarry on Ladybridge site by Andy B on Thursday, 28 August 2008
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George Chaplin writes:

It is with great sadness that I report that NYCC has today granted planning permission for Tarmac to extract ever more sand and gravel from the Ladybridge site adjacent to the Henge Complex at Thornborough.

With so much importance being given to the settings of such ritual monuments it is a shame that the people who are supposed to represent us are blind to the fact that so much more understanding of our past can be thrown away like this. As ever money speaks volumes especially when held up against history.

We know very little from this period of our history and once this site is quarried what there is under the surface will be no more. Learning stops.
The fight for this site will continue but will be much harder from now on. Publicity for Thornborough can only help.

All of you who care please talk about Thornborough, we need your help, the Henges, and their setting must be saved, for us and for future generations.
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Quarry firm vows to stay away from historic Henges by Anonymous on Thursday, 30 June 2005
Yesterday on ITV news Tarmac said they did not rule out quarrying Thornborough Moor. Bit of a turnaround then.
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Quarry firm vows to stay away from historic Henges by Anonymous on Thursday, 24 March 2005
Don't believe them - they have proved themselves as liars before. They just rape the countryside for money. They don't care at all for anything other than money.
Keep alert to the Tarmac terror . . .
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Quarry firm vows to stay away from historic Henges by kooljeff on Sunday, 20 March 2005
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Smoke and mirrors.

This is the same as the Chancellor saying "I have no intention of raising taxes within the next ten years". What is left unsaid goes "But if circumstances warrant we will" And you know damn well that he will find an excuse to do so. Simarly with Tarmac.

The argument has always been that the henges are set in a contextual landscape, ritual or otherwise. No government would allow extraction from the monument without breaking the law or stirring up criticism from archaelogical and scientific communities in this country and abroad, not to mention protests that would make the fox hunting campain seem like a picnic.

Tarmac continue to nibble away at the edges, leaving the henges isolated in a near lunar landscape. And companies like Tarmac have quarried too close to other monuments and they have been damaged or destroyed.

[ Reply to This ]

Re: Quarry firm vows to stay away from historic Henges by Partlow on Friday, 18 March 2005
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A sigh of relief with one eye always open!
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