Meeting to decide quarrying by henges
CONTROVERSIAL plans to extend a quarry near an ancient monument were discussed by county councillors for the first time yesterday.
Tarmac Limited wants to extend Nosterfield Quarry, near Ripon, North Yorkshire, to a site at nearby Ladybridge Farm.
The land lies a kilometre north-east of the neolithic Thornborough henges monument.
Campaigners said quarrying the land would disturb important archaeological remains, but Tarmac said the landscape could be conserved while sand and gravel extraction is extended.
Yesterday, North Yorkshire County Council decided that a separate meeting should be held to consider the plans, which have attracted 750 letters of objection and two petitions with 8,000 signatures.
It will take place at 1pm on Tuesday, September 20. A venue has yet to be fixed. Councillors will carry out a site visit on August 4.
Councillors also decided that Tarmac and the objectors would be given six minutes to make presentations on the plans at the meeting, instead of the usual three. English Heritage will also be given the chance to have its say.
George Chaplin, chairman of campaign group TimeWatch, said: "Quarrying at Thornborough is destroying nationally important archaeology. This is against national, local and even Tarmac's own guidelines.
"Quarrying will have an extremely detrimental impact on Thornborough's tourism potential. Earlier this year, more than 1,500 people gathered at the Thornborough Free Festival to show support for the TimeWatch campaign."
A Tarmac spokesman said: "We recognise that the application will require careful consideration by North Yorkshire County Council of the information and opinions supplied.
"We believe that the landscape can accommodate conservation of Thornborough henges and continuation of sand and gravel extraction."
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