NON TECHNICAL SUMMARY AN APPLICATION FOR PLANNING PERMISSION FOR A CLAY QUARRY INCLUDING THE USE OF AN EXISTING ACCESS FROM THE A19, THE CONSTRUCTION OF A CROSSING OVER NATIONAL ROUTE 65 OF THE NATIONAL CYCLE NETWORK, THE EXTRACTION AND EXPORTATION OF CLAY AND RESTORATION USING IMPORTED INERT MATERIALS TO AGRICULTURE AND NATURE CONSERVATION INTEREST INCLUDING WATERBODIES AND WETLAND HABITATS AT LAND ADJACENT TO AND TO THE WEST AND NORTH OF THE CURRENT ESCRICK QUARRY TO THE SOUTH WEST OF ESCRICK IN NORTH YORKSHIRE Report reference: PL/ES/SE/1683/01NTSF July 2019 Baddesley Colliery Offices, Main Road, Baxterley, Atherstone, Warwickshire, CV9 2LE Tel. (01827) 717891 Fax. (01827) 718507 PL_ESp24092 NTS PLASMOR ESCRICK Introduction Based on the current rate of clay extraction the clay available at Hemingbrough Quarry Plasmor Limited (Plasmor) is part of the will run out in approximately 5 years. privately owned Plasmor Group of Companies whose headquarters are in To provide for the continued manufacturing Knottingley, West Yorkshire. They supply a operations at the Heck Plant Plasmor need comprehensive range of concrete products to secure a longer term source of clay for to the construction and landscape markets use at the Heck Plant. Plasmor have throughout the UK. identified that clay at the proposed Escrick site is suitable for use at the Heck Plant. Clay is currently extracted from Hemingbrough Quarry by Plasmor for use The proposed Escrick site is made up of in the production of ultra lightweight two areas (western area and eastern area) material (expanded clay) for use in the which are separated by National Route 65 manufacture of building blocks at their (NR65) of the National Cycle Network Heck Plant to the south west of (Figure NTS1). The site is currently in Hemingbrough. agricultural use to grow a range of crops. Prior to Hemingbrough Quarry clay was Planning permission is being sought by extracted from Escrick Quarry which was Plasmor for a quarry to extract and export part of the former Escrick Brick & Tile clay following which the land will be works. progressively restored to agriculture and nature conservation interest including The Escrick Brickworks was demolished in water bodies and wetland habitats using 2006 and the former quarry area is being inert materials. It is proposed to continue restored by Escrick Environmental using the existing access from the A19 to Services using imported restoration access the proposed Escrick site and to materials to a mountain bike skills centre construct a bridge over NR65 of the with amenity fishing and wildlife National Cycle Network to access the conservation and is referred to in this report western area of the proposed Escrick site. as the current Escrick site (Figure NTS1). The area the subject of the application for planning permission is approximately 63 hectares. PL/ES/SE/1683/01NTS/F 1 July 2019 PL_ESp24092 NTS Bridleway C307 Bridleway 35.62/11/1 35.62/14/1 Bridleway Footpath N 35.62/19/3 35.62/7/1 A19 Footpath 35.62/25/2 Footpath 35.62/25/1 Footpath Mount Bridge 35.62/20/1 Bridleway Eastern 35.62/8/2 Area Footpath y 35.62/21/1 Western Area Heron Dyke (Drain) Bridleway Existing access 35.62/8/1 y Bridleway Footpath 35.62/22/2 35.62/2/2 Existing Escrick site reception area Bridleway 35.62/22/1 y Footpath Bridleway 35.53/8/1 35.40/1/1 NOT TO SCALE Key / Notes The planning application The current Escrick site National Route 65 of the National Approximate route of Approximate route of boundary Cycle Network bridleway 35.10/11/2 bridleway 35.40/11/1 Approximate route of bridleway Other footpaths in the Approximate route of Other bridleways in the 35.62/9/1 (to be diverted) area of the site footpath 35.40/12/1 area of the site Figure NTS 1: The site and surrounding area PL/ES/07-19/21323 PLASMOR ESCRICK This document summarises in in a generally north to south direction non- technical language the information in between the eastern area and the western the Environmental Statement which area of the site. Bridleway 35.62/9/1 runs in accompanies the application for planning a generally southerly direction from Hill permission which has been submitted to Farm and crosses the western area of the North Yorkshire County Council. site before turning south westerly and running along the southern boundary. Site location and description There are a number of drains adjacent to or The proposed Escrick site is located crossing the Escrick site (Figure NTS1). approximately 1.7km south south west of Heron Dyke (Drain) flows in a generally the village of Escrick and 1.4km east south easterly direction along the northern east of Stillingfleet. boundary of the western area of the site. Parkhill Dyke (Drain) which flows in a There are isolated residential properties generally southerly direction along the located in the areas surrounding the southern part of the eastern boundary of proposed Escrick site. The nearest the western area of the site. Bentley Park residential property is Mount Farm which is Drain flows in a generally westerly direction located approximately 55m from the north along the southern boundary of the eastern east site boundary of the western area. area and between the eastern area and the Glade Farm and Cottages and Bell Farm current Escrick site. are located approximately 95m south and 470m south of the proposed site access The majority of the site is located in Flood respectively. Moor Farm is located Zone 2 which is defined as land having approximately 420m south west of the between a 1 in 100 and a 1 in 1,000 annual proposed Escrick site and Hill Farm is probability of river flooding. There is an located approximately 1.2km to the north area in the north west of the site which is west of the proposed Escrick site. located in Flood Zone 1 which is defined as land having less than a 1 in 1,000 annual The land surrounding the site is generally probability of river flooding. An area to the in agricultural use. There are a number of south east of the site is located in Flood Public Rights of Way in the vicinity of the Zone 3 which has a 1 in 100 or greater proposed Escrick site (Figure NTS1). annual probability of river flooding. A small NR65 of the National Cycle Network runs PL/ES/SE/1683/01NTS/F 2 July 2019 PL_ESp24092 NTS PLASMOR ESCRICK area in the south of the site is identified as facility it is anticipated that the clay an area benefiting from flood defences. will supply Heck for 20 to 30 years. Clay will be extracted in phases Skipwith Common Site of Special Scientific with the eastern area of the site Interest and National Nature Reserve is extracted first followed by the located approximately 3.1km south east of western area. Screening bunds the proposed Escrick site. Acaster South constructed using onsite soils will Ings SSSI is located approximately 2.8km be used to minimise the visual north east of the proposed Escrick site. impacts of the proposed extraction There are five Sites of Interest for Nature operations (Figure NTS 2). Conservation within 2km of the proposed The site will be restored in stages Escrick site the closest of which is the York using imported inert materials. It is and Selby Cycle Track SINC which anticipated that up to 2,670,000m³ comprises verges of the route of NR65 of of inert restoration material will be the National Cycle Network in the area of imported to the site for restoration the site. Heron Wood SINC is located and that the restoration operations approximately 180m north of the proposed will be completed within six years of Escrick site and Riccall Dam SINC is the completion of mineral extraction located approximately 450m south of the operations. western area of the site. Access to the proposed Escrick site is from the existing access onto the The proposals A19 which is the access to the The main elements of the proposed current Escrick site. Vehicles from development are: the site will pass through a wheelwash before accessing the Extraction of clay from the eastern A19. area and the western area of the It is proposed that Heron Dyke site. The proposed operations at (Drain) which currently runs the Escrick site will generate through the site will be permanently approximately 6,000,000 tonnes of diverted around the north-east clay suitable for use at the Heck perimeter of the western part of the facility operated by Plasmor. Based site. on the operations at the Heck PL/ES/SE/1683/01NTS/F 3 July 2019 PL_ESp24092 NTS Drain 1.83m Tk H Mount Pond 10.3m Drain Track Track 14.6m Def Mount Bridge Heron Wood 9.6m FB ETL Mount Farm Track Drain N Pond Phase 2 Heron Dike Phase 12 Phase 3 2.44m RH Bentley Park Phase 11 Phase 1 Drain Track Lay-by FB Track 7.9m Drain Phase 15 Track Phase 10 Stillingfleet Moor Phase 13 Path Workings (dis) ETL Ponds Phase 8 Drain Park Bentley 7.6m Track Pond Phase 14 Brickworks Pond Cottages FB Park Farm 1 Phase 9 2 Heron Dike FB West End House Brickworks House Brickworks The Annexe Park Court K N 14 7 G J 13 10 Track Pond FB Track Track SD F Phase 7 C 4 19 Phase 4 3 B A Escrick Business Park The Old Brick and Tile Works 5.18m RH El Sub Sta 6.7m Parkhill Dike (Drain) Phase 5 Pond Phase 6 RH 5.18m FarmGlade A 19 Def 1 2 Track Glade Farm Cottages Pond Track Drain Gamble's Rush NOT TO SCALE Drain Kelfield Moor 6.7m Key / Notes The planning application Mobile plant storage Approximate exclusion area due Indicative location of the bridge boundary area to archaeology which will be constructed over National Route 65 of the National Proposed mineral extraction Proposed diverted route of National Route 65 of the National Phase 3 Cycle Network phase Heron Dyke (Drain) Cycle Network Proposed diverted route of Proposed direction of mineral Proposed screening bund Mobile mess facility extraction Bridleway 35.62/9/1 Figure NTS 2: Showing the proposed phasing of the clay extraction operations PL/ES/07-19/21297 PLASMOR ESCRICK NR65 of the National Cycle Network will be temporarily diverted to allow for the construction of the bridge which will provide access to the western area and temporarily diverted during the removal of the bridge once operations have ceased.