Residents in Lancashire village of Preesall step up fight against quarry proposals as planning application lodged

The quarry would see a major industrial operation being undertaken in the midst of the quiet Over Wyre village, with a raft of concerns raised by residents, including noise pollution, traffic issues and health fears over silica dust, which has been linked to lung cancer.

Campaigners from the online group, Preesall and Knott End Against Quarry Application, argue that the application breaches guidelines about the distance between quarries and human habitation.

What is being proposed?

The quarry scheme is earmarked for land at Bourbles Farm in Preesall and would entail the extraction of sand and gravel to build a quarry, to remove an estimated 460,000 tonnes of sand and gravel and to insert 300,000 tonnes of tested soil, clay and hardcore

The application lodged at County Hall is for ‘the extraction and processing of sand and gravel including the construction of new site access roads, landscaping and screening buns, minerals washing plants and other associated infrastructure with restoration to leisure end uses, agricultural land and biodiversity enhancement using imported inert fill’.

The quarry has been earmarked for a site on Bourbles Farm, on Bourbles Lane in Preesall, with the application lodged by developers the Baxter Group Ltd.

Due to the nature of the proposal, the application will not be dealt with by local planning authority Wyre Council, but by Lancashire County Council’s Development Control Committee, on a date yet to be fixed.

The campaigners are urging as many residents as possible to lodge objections on the Lancashire County Council website, with the deadline for such comments fast approaching before the end of this month.

What campaigners say

Leanne Murray, one of the campaigners, said: “There are approximately 200 homes in close proximity to this site and more than 100 people with existing respiratory problems.

"One of our concerns is that the issue of the impact on health has not been given sufficient priority in the requirements asked for by Lancashire County Council.

"Given the potentially serious risks posed by silica dust, that is not acceptable.

"We are urging as many people as possible to make their feelings known, because if this thing is passed, it would be a disaster for Preesall.

"This is simply the wrong site for this type of operation, it is far too near to people’s homes.”

The application is also opposed by Preesall Town Council, while Wyre councillors for Preesall, led by independent member Collette Rushforth, stood on an anti-quarry platform and are part of the campaign.

Residents living closest

Paul and Sharon O’Connor and daughter Stephanie, of Sunflower Barn on Bourbles Lane, are among the neighbours living closest to the site – literally a stone’s throw away.

Paul, 57, said: “We’ve been lucky to live in a place like this, it’s idyllic. We have horses and dogs and a quiet country life.

"If this thing gets the go ahead it will destroy everything – our entire way of life.

“The value of our home will be reduced to nothing, not to mention the noise and disruption and the impact on our health.

"The application says it’s 100 metres away but it’s 100 metres to the centre of it– in realty the edge of it is just five metres away.

"It’s an absolute nightmare, to be honest.”

Also living right next to the site are Peter and Helen Burke, who run the Red Lea Kennels, also on Bourbles Lane.

Peter,73, said: “We are probably the closest – we're surrounded by it.

"Our home backs onto the internal transport road – we’ll have the sound and vibration of waggons at the back, and the wash plant around the side.

"They want to build these buns – banks of earth – right at the back of our garden which are meant to be for our benefit, but who would want to be staring at that?

"The whole area will be destroyed for years to come, wildlife will be decimated.

"And the dust is a huge worry – the workers would get protective masks – we won’t.”

What the applicants say

The applicants argue that the quarry would be vital for the housebuilding industry and say there is a genuine need for it, insisting all requirements for such an application have been met.

In a statement, they said: “As part of the application process and the preparation of the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment), all potential impacts on the local community and the local environment have been assessed and mitigation measures to minimise or eliminate any impacts have been clearly identified where they are deemed necessary.

"This includes the construction of screening bunds around the margins of the site and a phased mineral extraction and restoration scheme.

"We are happy to work with Lancashire County Council on mitigation measures to ensure that this works well and limits disturbance and intend on setting this quarry up and operating it to the highest of standards.

"Over the recent past there has been a general increase in demand for construction aggregates across the County that is directly linked to an increase in construction

activity across the North West of England.

"This increase in activity coincident with the reduction in available supply of sand and gravel locally has led to aggregate and construction material shortages in the North Lancashire Region.

“These supply shortages have directly impacted on The Baxter Group, thus they have identified a clear and demonstrable need for a new source of sand and gravel

close to their own construction markets within the county.”

The application can be seen at: https://planningregister.lancashire.gov.