New Forest District Council opposes plans to excavate Yeatton Farm in Hordle and raises concerns over a bid to dig at Ashley Manor Farm in New Milton
CONTENTIOUS plans for gravel extraction at Hordle have been opposed by New Forest District Council.
As reported in the A&T, Hampshire County Council is consulting on its draft minerals and waste plan as it moves to include Yeatton Farm in Hordle and Ashley Manor Farm in New Milton in its list of potential quarries.
In its response, NFDC also set out a list of concerns in relation to Ashley Manor, which is at the centre of a controversial bid by New Milton Sand and Ballast for excavation, but did not oppose it outright.
The document has prompted major concerns from residents and local councillors worried about the health implications for communities and impact on tourism.
Making its own objection to the Hordle site, where, if approved, digging would not start until 2039, NFDC has stated: "There are a number of potential adverse impacts including loss of hedgerows, significant landscape impacts, and potential to encroach on the character of the adjoining settlement.
"In addition, the draft plan does not specify an access point – a number of the local lanes are very narrow."
The district council has also raised a number of issues around the digging of Ashley Manor, which could begin as early as next year.
"The most substantial concern is landscape impact," it argued. "In addition, HCC must ensure that any potential noise from gravel extraction works adjacent to Milford Road Cemetery would not disturb the peace and tranquillity of the site.
"The development is likely to have an adverse impact on nearby residents and NFDC considers that the proximity is such that there are likely to be impacts of noise and dust on these residents."
Furthermore, NFDC has raised a question mark over the county council's basis for the amount of aggregate it says it needs.
"It sets out a shortfall of 2.17Mt (million tonnes) of aggregate," it stated. "However, the plan goes on to propose a number of sites that in total are projected to provide nearly 12Mt of sharp sand and gravel.
"This appears to be significantly above the projected shortfall, and NFDC believes that this represents an excessive allocation of sites."
With this in mind, the council questions "what purpose is served" by allocating the "environmentally challenged" Yeatton Farm site, which in any case is "not expected to deliver until the very end of the minerals and waste plan period".
The plan also proposes Totton railway station be used as an aggregate depot as an alternative to transporting minerals by road.
"It appears that HGV movements will be required to facilitate the use of the site – however there has been no assessment of traffic," said NFDC.
"In the absence of such information, there are concerns that the proposal could generate significant vehicle movements with associated impacts like air quality on this part of the town centre."