The proposed quarry in our village will be right next to our garden and we’re worried

A family say they’re worried that proposals for a quarry in their village will mean the works would be right next to their garden.

And to make matters worse, one of the family has asthma and they are frightened about how the silica dust caused by the excavation will affect them.

Adam and Mary Wood and their three children moved into their idyllic cottage in the village of Preesall back in 2022 – just weeks before a scoping request, a trial application, was submitted to Lancashire County Council by the applicants.

The couple say that had they known about the plans, they would never have forked out £400,000 for their home, which is next to the proposed quarry site at Bourbles Farm, Bourbles Lane.

At the moment the cottage is the perfect place for them and their children Kacy, 16, Amelia, nine and Adam Jr, aged six.

The applicants for the quarry, Baxters, says there is a vital need for the works and it will work with residents to alleviate their concerns, but the plans are causing huge concerns.

Mary said: “We would not, under any circumstances, have bought this property if we’d known there would be a potential quarry at the back of the house.

“Our daughter Kacy is severely asthmatic and is regularly hospitalised now, so any detrimental effect on air quality would be a serious situation for her.

“The other two children are very small and their developing lungs would also be adversely affected, it’s a huge worry.”

independent Preesall councillor Collette Rushforth, who is campaigning against the quarry, said: “There are utility pipes between their garden and the quarry and they can’t build on the pipes, so the concern is that that part will be less protected from the proposed screening bunds, making them feel even more exposed.”

The quarry plans will be determined by Lancashire County Council’s Development Control Committee and a hearing is expected at some point this year.

The scheme 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 extraction and processing of the sand and gravel includes the construction of new site access roads, landscaping and screening bunds, minerals washing plant and other associated infrastructure with restoration to leisure end-uses, agricultural land and biodiversity enhancement.

In December, Baxters submitted revised plans for the project, including updates on air quality assessment, ecological impact assessment and nose assessments.

Coun  Rushforth added: “Silica dust from these kind of developments has health implications, it can cause lung illnesses,  and our argument is that this quarry would be far too close to the people living here. The health implications, the disruption and traffic issues make it untenable for this site.”

There are obviously huge concerns for so many reasons and I am urging anyone who is concerned about this to go onto the Lancashire County Council planning portal to make their concerns known.”

There is also an online campaign group, Preesall and Knott End against Quarry Application.

The arguments for the quarry

A spokesman for Greenfield Enviro, agents on behalf of Baxter Homes, previously 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.”

Those wishing to make a commment on the application can do so by visiting the dedicated pages on Lancashire County Council’s website, via https://planningregister.lancashire.gov.uk/Planning/Display/LCC/2023/0030#undefined