Villagers living near a Banbury area quarry face 12 further years of possible noise and disturbance

But planning officers said lorries have been instructed not to drive through a nearby village after significant concern from residents
Villagers living near a Banbury area quarry face 12 further years of possible noise and disturbance after county councillors approved plans for a recycling facility for soil and aggregates.Villagers living near a Banbury area quarry face 12 further years of possible noise and disturbance after county councillors approved plans for a recycling facility for soil and aggregates.
Villagers living near a Banbury area quarry face 12 further years of possible noise and disturbance after county councillors approved plans for a recycling facility for soil and aggregates.

Villagers living near a Banbury area quarry face 12 further years of possible noise and disturbance after county councillors approved plans for a recycling facility for soil and aggregates.

It will mean up to 11 HGVs would head to Edgehill Quarry each day loaded with waste from building sites which would then be sorted and mostly used to fill the quarry void.

Planners at this week’s (Monday) regulatory committee also agreed that 10 ecopods could be sited on the land when it was sufficiently restored - expected to be after seven years.

A number of councillors and residents living in nearby Edgehill spoke out against the plans, expressing their fears about noise, dust and lorries trundling through their historic village.

Written objections were also received from the Cotswold AONB Conservation Board, the Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE), Jeremy Wright MP, the National Trust and the Upton Estate.

Cllr Justin Kerridge (Con, Studley) said: “As for the activity of waste processing in this location I’m absolutely against the idea. It is so close to a village and even closer to several properties.

“It is totally inappropriate in a countryside location where the background noise is largely birds. It will be a background noise for 12 years and although there is noise now, that activity is scheduled to cease. The key issue is that it is an AONB and we must consider that incredibly strongly.”

Cllr Chris Mills (Con, Kineton and Red Horse) added: “Twelve years of having trucks trundling around is going to frighten the wildlife off so it’s going to be some time before it creeps back.

“I cannot see any benefits to the residents. We’re told one will be a footpath through the site but I’m not sure that anyone would want to walk through a glamping site.”

Planning officer Matthew Williams explained some of the measures that would be put in place.

He said: “Significant concern is raised by the local community in terms of vehicle numbers, routing and impact on the village. It is proposed that all vehicles would be routed from the main A422 and that no vehicles would access the site through the village. If lorries did not comply with the vehicle routing agreement, we would have to enforce it.

“Concern has been raised about the potential waste types going into the site. The proposal is for inert materials only.”

A proposal to reject the plans was lost by a single vote prompting Cllr Jill Simpson-Vince (Con, Brownsover and Coton Park) to propose approval on the condition that the working hours were restricted to weekdays.

She said: “I’ve gone through this several times trying to find legitimate planning reasons to refuse it and I was struggling.”

Councillors agreed to approve by five votes to two with two abstentions.

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