WREDON & WARDLOW QUARRIES A proposal to consolidate the extant planning permissions at Wredon & Wardlow Quarries Volume 2 Written Supporting Statement Written Statement Wredon and Wardlow Quarries Consolidation of extant Planning Permissions WRITTEN STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF A PLANNING APPLICATION TO CONSOLIDATE THE EXTANT PLANNING PERMISSIONS AT WREDON AND WARDLOW QUARRIES This Planning Application is accompanied by an Environmental Statement October 2009 Written Statement K10 Wredon and Wardlow Quarries Consolidation of extant Planning Permissions Part 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 The Applicant 1.2 General 1.3 The Application Part 2 DESCRIPTION OF THE APPLICATION SITE 2.1 Location 2.2 The Surrounding Area 2.3 Geology 2.4 Planning History Part 3 DEVELOPMENT DETAILS 3.1 General 3.2 Phased Working Scheme 3.3 Working Methods 3.4 Aggregate Processing 3.5 Access and Traffic 3.6 Water Management 3.7 Restoration Part 4 REVIEW OF PLANNING GUIDANCE 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPG) 4.3 Planning Policy Statements (PPS) 4.4 Mineral Planning Policy Guidance Notes (MPG) 4.5 Mineral Planning Statements (MPS) 4.6 Regional Spatial Strategy for the West Midlands – 2008 (RSS) 4.7 Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Structure Plan 1996 – Adopted 2001 4.8 Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Minerals Local Plan 1994 – 2006 (Adopted 1999) K10/WS/Contents/JBH/October 2009 STATUS: FINAL Written Statement K10 Wredon and Wardlow Quarries Consolidation of extant Planning Permissions 4.9 Staffordshire Moorlands Local Plan - 1994 Part 5 CASE FOR APPROVAL Part 6 APPLICATION FORMS, NOTICES AND CERTIFICATES Part 7 APPENDICES Appendix 1 Planning Permission – IDO/SM/10 Appendix 2 Planning Permission – 6079 Appendix 3 Planning Permission – 7985 Appendix 4 Planning Permission – ES 13809/02 – SM 13783 Appendix 5 Planning Permission – SM 552/87 Appendix 6 Planning Permission – IDO/SM/10 (ID586) Appendix 7 Staffordshire County Council email Dated 8 June 2007 Part 8 DRAWINGS Section 1 Planning Application Area/ Company Boundary W69/61 Section 2 Extant Planning Permissions K35/03a Section 3 Location Plan W69/62 Section 4 Development Phase 1 W69/64 Section 5 Development Phase 2 W69/65 Section 6 Development Phase 3 W69/66 Section 7 Maximum Permitted Development W69/63 Section 8 Location of Photo Views ST 10772/01 Section 9 Visual Impact Assessment – Public Access Routes ST 10772/02 Section 10 Noise Monitoring and Predication Locations ST 10772/03 Section 11 Photo views 1-12 inclusive Section 12 Interim Restoration ST 10772/06 Section 13 Phased Restoration ST 10772/08 Section 14 Final Concept Restoration ST 10772/07 K10/WS/Contents/JBH/October 2009 STATUS: FINAL Written Statement K10 Wredon and Wardlow Quarries Consolidation of extant Planning Permissions FOREWORD Tarmac Limited is applying for planning permission to consolidate the extant planning permissions relating to the Wredon and Wardlow Quarries. The proposal if permitted involves the surrender of the existing six (6) planning permissions relevant to these quarry operations. By effectively combining and unifying the varying end dates of these extant planning permissions these strategic reserves of high quality carboniferous limestone will be secured, being part of the only limestone resource in the County of Stafford. This Statement and Application have been prepared following discussions with the Mineral Planning Authority which have identified the individual topics now considered within the Environmental Statement. This Volume is one (1) of three (3) separately bound documents, which together constitute the Environmental Statement and Planning Application these are: Volume 1 Environmental Statement including the Non Technical Summary Volume 2 Planning Application including fee and application forms, notices etc. Free Standing Non-Technical Summary Any comments on the Application should be made to: R Vearncombe Esq Team Leader – County Development Staffordshire County Council Riverway Stafford ST16 3TJ K10/WS/forword/JBH/October 2009 STAUTS: FINAL Written Statement K10 Wredon and Wardlow Quarries Consolidation of extant Planning Permissions Should you require further information on this proposal please contact: G Fyles Esq Tarmac Limited Tunstead House Buxton Derbyshire SK17 8TG Telephone 01298 768 555 K10/WS/forword/JBH/October 2009 STAUTS: FINAL PART 1 Written Statement K10 Wredon and Wardlow Quarries Consolidation of extant Planning Permissions 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 The Applicant 1.1.1 Tarmac Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Anglo American Plc one of the worlds largest mining and natural resources companies. Tarmac Limited is the UK Market leader in aggregates, mortar, concrete blocks and coated roadstone. Accordingly the Company is a vital provider to the UK’s built environment including the maintenance of houses, roads, railways, offices, schools, hospitals and all other sectors of the built economy. 1.1.2 Tarmac operates an Environmental Management System (EMS) accredited to ISO 14001. The Company has received a number of environmental awards for quarry restoration within the UK and intend that these proposals for Wredon and Wardlow Quarries will provide opportunities to undertake further high quality restoration through the implementation of the proposed interim and final restoration schemes. 1.2 General 1.2.1 Quarrying operations at Wredon and Wardlow have been undertaken for some 60 years plus under various planning permissions commencing in 1946 with the issue of planning permission IDO/SM/10. 1.2.2 Wredon Quarry is operated under the following planning permissions: IDO/SM/10 dated 7 June 1946 and registered on 10 May 1993 under the provisions of the Planning and Compensation Act 1991. and SM 13783 dated 16 April 1986 and ES 13809/02 dated 16 April 1986 K10/WS/JBH/October 2009 - 1 - STATUS: FINAL Written Statement K10 Wredon and Wardlow Quarries Consolidation of extant Planning Permissions These planning permissions are shown on Drg. No. K35/03a included at Part 8 – Section 2. 1.2.3 Wardlow Quarry is operated under the following planning permissions: 6069 dated 23 August 1965 and 7985 dated 9 October 1969 and SM 552/87 dated 3 May 1988 These planning permissions are shown on Drg. No. K35/03a included at Part 8 – Section 2. 1.2.4 Planning Permissions SM 13783, ES 13809/2 and SM552/87 will be the subject of review under the provisions of the Environmental Act 1995, in September 2010. By the grant of planning permission in respect of this proposal such reviews will become unnecessary. 1.2.5 The current permitted reserves of limestone at Wredon and Wardlow are approximately 28.4 million tonnes to be extracted at a yearly rate of 1 million tonnes via a 3 phase programme – See Drgs. W69/64, 65 and 66 at Part 8 Sections 4, 5 and 6 respectively. 1.3 The Application 1.3.1 The proposal consolidates the extant planning permissions at Wredon and Wardlow Quarries in order that they may be worked as a single entity resulting in a more efficient and sustainable operation and includes for immediate interim landscaping measures – See Drg. No. ST 10772/06 at Part 8 Section 12. K10/WS/JBH/October 2009 - 2 - STATUS: FINAL Written Statement K10 Wredon and Wardlow Quarries Consolidation of extant Planning Permissions 1.3.2 This application proposes to extract 28.4 million tonnes of permitted carboniferous limestone reserves at the Wredon / Wardlow Quarries as authorised by those Planning Permissions previously listed at Paragraphs 1.2.2 and 1.2.3 to the extant permitted depths of working. 1.3.3 The combined annual output will be of the order of 1 million tonnes giving an operational life of some 28 / 29 years. 1.3.4 This application seeks consent to work these permitted reserves in 3 phases so ensuring the availability of these strategic limestone reserves which are of importance both to the County and Region. 1.3.5 The application is accompanied by an Environmental Statement and includes a fully phased working scheme, interim restoration measures, and a phased comprehensive final restoration scheme and strategy. K10/WS/JBH/October 2009 - 3 - STATUS: FINAL PART 2 Written Statement K10 Wredon and Wardlow Quarries Consolidation of extant Planning Permissions 2 DESCRIPTION OF THE APPLICATION SITE 2.1 Location 2.1.1 The Application Site extending to some 52ha is situated with the Staffordshire Moorlands District lying some 9km west of Ashbourne, 20km east of Stoke on Trent with the Peak District National Park 4km to the north – See Part 8 Section 1 – Drawing W69/61. 2.1.2 The nearest dwellings are Walk and Weaver Farms approximately 500m and 1000m to the east respectively. With Tenement Farm some 1000m to the west. See Part 8 - Section 3 – Drawing W69/62. 2.1.3 Wredon and Wardlow Quarries are sited on the higher ground above the hill slopes and each has a single excavated void. The boundary between the two quarries has been partially removed, but their external boundaries are contained within perimeter mounds. These excavated voids are screened almost entirely from external views by these mounds or the adjacent landform. There is no plant remaining at Wardlow Quarry, although the concrete bases and plinths remain on the higher levels of the quarry adjacent to its boundary with Wredon Quarry. At Wredon Quarry the plant is situated on the quarry floor at the western end of the void, and includes a modern coating plant. Both the quarries are accessed off the A52 to the north with a shared access road. 2.1.4 There is a substantial change in elevation across the site with the ground ranging from 225m AOD to350m AOD. Much of the site has been previously disturbed by mineral extraction operations with the exception of the perimeter mounds and the built up tip areas at the nearby Kevin Quarry. K10/WS/JBH/October 2009 - 4 - STATUS: FINAL Written Statement K10 Wredon and Wardlow Quarries Consolidation of extant Planning Permissions 2.2 The Surrounding Area 2.2.1 The Weaver Hills attain heights of 371m AOD at the The Walk and have further summits ranging from 350m to 365m AOD, in a ridge running northwest to south east across the northern portion of the site.