Shiel Dykes Quarry
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1 Wardell Armstrong LLP Shiel Dykes Quarry Non Technical Summary 2 Wardell Armstrong LLP Introduction Site Location Planning permission is being sought for a new quarry at Shiel Dykes, north of Newton on the Moor in central Northumberland. The quarry will principally extract whinstone, a hard basalt rock that is used in the construction industry, principally for building roads. 5 million tonnes of rock will be extracted over a 25 year period and distributed via an existing access road that joins up with the A1. No lorries will pass through any local villages. As the quarry is worked it will be progressively restored broadly back to existing ground levels using imported inert construction and demolition arisings and overburden from the site, leaving a site that will be returned to upland agricultural grazing. Once all of the rock has been extracted infilling with the imported arisings will continue for another five years, so the total time period for the operation will be 30 years. The planning application is submitted jointly by Northumberland Estates (as landowner) and by North East Concrete (as future operator of the quarry). Northumberland Estates is the private company that represents the business interests of the Duke of Northumberland and the Percy family. North East Concrete is a family-owned business with a substantial share of the quarrying, concrete and asphalt production sectors in Tyneside and Northumberland. The company has a strong prior legacy of safe working and sensitive restoration from its other quarries, including at Caistron at Rothbury, Hedgeley and Wooperton Quarries at Powburn. An Environmental Statement (ES) has been prepared to accompany the submission made to Northumberland County Council. The ES describes the proposed operation of the quarry and its environmental impact through a process known as Environmental Impact Assessment. This determines if potential impacts have significant effects for which mitigation will be required. This Non Technical Summary provides an overview of what is being proposed and summarises the findings of the ES in non-technical language. 3 Wardell Armstrong LLP Site Description Site location and setting The proposed quarry will be located approximately 5.3km south of Alnwick, 2km to the west of the A1 trunk road and 2km north-west of Newton on the Moor. The extraction area lies within the boundary of Denwick Parish Council but the access route to the A1 falls within the boundary of Shilbottle parish. The area of the application site is 46.2 hectares, of which only 19 hectares will actually be extracted, with the A1 remaining areas used for processing, soil storage, water management and traffic circulation. The site is currently predominantly under grassland, in five arable and grazing fields. There is also a small apple orchard and some farm access tracks. The field boundaries are a mixture of dry stone walls, stock proof fencing and rows of trees. The site is on the south and south-east facing hillside above the Newton Burn to the south over a long view. The highest point is at the north-west, sloping down towards the south-east. A track runs through the site but will be permanently diverted round the western boundary of the site at the start of the development. Bridleways and footpaths to the south-east of the site towards Newton on the Moor and to the north at Freemans Hill will be unaffected. The moorland to the west is open access land. There are no records of protected flora or fauna within or near the site. 4 Wardell Armstrong LLP Surrounding Uses The former Harecrag landfill site lies immediately to the north of the proposed quarry. The landfill was originally a hard rock quarry, which was subsequently infilled with household, commercial and industrial waste. Infilling operations were completed in 2003 and the site has been grazed ever since. The primary land use of the surrounding area is agriculture with some small blocks of coniferous forestry. The field pattern gives way to more open grassy Approximate extent of the site moorland in the west with larger blocks of forestry. The A1 trunk road is located 2km to the east, with scattered properties and small settlements in the surrounding landscape. The settlements surrounding the proposed extraction area are Newton on the Moor, Alnwick, Swarland and Shilbottle. The nearest occupied buildings are Shiel Dykes Farm to the south and Freemans Hill to the north. Northumberland Estates are planning to plant nearly 300ha of mixed woodland and forestry on land to the north and west of the site. This planting will start in the north in the winter of 2020/2021 and be completed in the south in the following winter. 5 Wardell Armstrong LLP 135 135 175 175 135 DO NOT SCALE FROM THIS DRAWING DO NOT SCALE FROM THIS DRAWING 180 180 135 140 170 170 140 KEY 155 KEY 155 145 160 160 145 150 150 165 Project Description 165 Application Boundary Application Boundary Extraction Phasing Extraction Phasing 0 100 200 Direction of working 0 100 200 Direction of working metres metres Existing ExistingFive million tonnes of rock will be extracted over a 25 year period at 180 Existing vegetation Existing vegetation 180 Trees Trees 4.5m 140 4.5m 2.5m 2.5m 140 a rate of approximately 200,000 tonnes per year. Inert construction Hedgerow Hedgerow 180 Agricultural land 180 Agricultural land 185 RH RH andWater body demolition arisings will be imported to allow the quarry to Water body 185 140 2m 3m 2m 3m 140 Refer to Figure 3.7 for Fence / gate Refer to Figure 3.7 for Fence / gate detail of compound area detail of compound area Partial restoration of Phase 1 4m Issues Stone wall 4m Issues beStone wall progressively restored to level together with overburden from 170 2.5m 2.5m 175 ED Bdy Proposed 175 ED Bdy Proposed 2.5m 150 2.5m 160 150 185 RH 5m RH Quarry floor 180 3.5m Quarry floor 155 3.5m 185 155 145 165 145 185 the site. Some of the imported material will be recycled for reuse 1.5m 1.5m 170 Site compound and access tracks 180 150 Site compound and access tracks 165 4m 4m 180 170 Phase 1 Topsoil storage mound Phase 1 Topsoil storage mound 180 160 155 160 150 and sale. The progressive restoration of the quarry will return it 3.5m 3.5m 140 Subsoil storage mound 155 Subsoil storage mound 160 145 150 160 135 140 165 Def Def Overburden storage mound 2m Overburden storage 2mmound 125130 3m 120 180 180 185 115 Water treatment area 150 180 to broadly existing ground levels, with existing soils replaced and Water treatment area 155 150 Edge protection bund RH 155 160 165 15m 15m Realigned by-way 170 3m Realigned by-way 150 126.8 155 Phase 1 Restoration 165 the site returned to agricultural and valuable low-nutrient whin Def 155 175 165 Rough pasture / grassland 165 Phase 2 175 Phase 2 3m 160 173.1m 170 110 Track Track 13m grassland.Whin grassland Once all of the mineral has been extracted infilling will 165 Agricultural land 155 155 160 155 160 Proposed trees along fenceline 3m 160 165 continue for a further five years to complete the restoration of the 165 Proposed fence 165 Phase 3 10m Phase 3 160 10m 145 145 Field gate 165 3m RH RH site.Proposed woodland 155 150 175 160 150 170 170 REVISION DETAILS DATE DRAWN CHK'D APP'D REVISION DETAILS DATE DRAWN CHK'D APP'D Phase 4 CLIENT Phase 4 CLIENT Trough160 The site will be worked in four phases, from north to south using Trough 155 NORTH EAST CONCRETE LTD 165 NORTH EAST CONCRETE LTD AND NORTHUMBERLAND165 ESTATES Advanced woodland AND NORTHUMBERLAND ESTATES 155 screen planting 140 160 140 PROJECT PROJECT ED Bdy the standard quarrying extraction techniques of soil stripping ED Bdy 145 145 150 155 SHIEL DYKES QUARRY 150 SHIEL DYKES QUARRY 155 and storing, overburden removal, rock blasting, and crushing and DRAWING TITLE DRAWING TITLE Swineleas FIGURE 3.1 Swineleas FIGURE 3.2 PHASE 1 PHASE 2 135 135 150 150 processing into suitable sized aggregates. The aggregates will then DRG No. REV DRG No. REV 145 NT14060/FIGURE 3.2 145 NT14060/FIGURE 3.1 - 140 - Pond Pond 140 DRG SIZE SCALE DATE DRG SIZE SCALE 145 DATE 145 A2 1:2500 JULY 2020 A2 1:2500 03/07/2020JULY 2020 DRAWN BY beCHECKED stockpiled BY APPROVED BY from which lorries will then be loaded for distribution Existing by-way DRAWN BY CHECKED BY APPROVED BY Existing by-way AB AC NB AB AC NB NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE | TEL 0191 232 0943 NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE | TEL 0191 232 0943 WWW.WARDELL-ARMSTRONG.COM WWW.WARDELL-ARMSTRONG.COM 130 BIRMINGHAM GLASGOW 130 BIRMINGHAM GLASGOW 135 BOLTON LEEDS 135 BOLTON LEEDS 140 off-site. Blasting will take place between the hours of 10.00 and CARDIFF LONDON 140 CARDIFF LONDON Reproduced from Ordnance Survey Maps CARLISLE MANCHESTER Reproduced from Ordnance Survey Maps c CARLISLE140 MANCHESTER Crown Copyright All Rights Reserved c Crown Copyright All Rights Reserved Copyright Reserved Licence No. 0100031673 EDINBURGH STOKE ON TRENT CopyrightPhase Reserved 1140 Licence No. 0100031673 Phase EDINBURGH2 STOKE ON TRENT N:\NT\NT14060 - SHIEL DYKES PLANNING AND EIA\03 - DESIGN\AUTOCAD\NT14060 FIGURE 3.2 PHASE 2.DWG N:\NT\NT14060 - SHIEL DYKES PLANNING AND EIA\03 - DESIGN\AUTOCAD\NT14060 FIGURE 3.1 PHASE 1.DWG 16.00 Monday to Friday in accordance with a scheme to be agreed 135 135 by the mineral planning authority. It is anticipated that blasting will 175 DO NOT SCALE FROM THIS DRAWING 175 DO NOT SCALE FROM THIS DRAWING 180 135 180 135 KEY KEY 170 140 155 170 140 145 155 160 150 145 Application Boundary 160 150 takeApplication Boundary place a maximum of once or twice per week.