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Residents plea for quarry plan to be refused

Katy Lewis/BBC A large open field lying beneath a blue sky with a few clouds. There are trees in the foreground of the picture, both of which do not have any leaves. There are plenty of other trees running down the left and right sides of the field, which is covered in grass.Katy Lewis/BBC
The earmarked land sits between Ellenbrook and Smallford, near Hatfield in Hertfordshire

Residents have asked that plans for a quarry on the site of a former private airfield were refused at the end of a two-week planning inquiry.

Brett Aggregates has applied to extract about eight million tonnes of sand and gravel over 32 years at the former Hatfield Aerodrome, near Hatfield, Hertfordshire.

Hertfordshire County Council rejected the company's latest plan earlier this year and an appeal was subsequently lodged with the Planning Inspectorate.

On Friday Colney Heath Group told Melvyn Middleton, from the Planning Inspectorate, that the quarry would cause “significant and irreversible harm”.

The group, which was formed to represent residents and campaigners at the inquiry, suggested that the risks to health, amenity and the local ecosystem outweighed any potential benefits.

They urged the Inspectorate to recommend refusal “to safeguard the environment, the community and the future sustainability of Hertfordshire”.

According to the group’s closing statement, the quarry would undermine the purpose of the Green Belt and its role in preventing urban sprawl.

Closing statements were also made by representatives of the applicants Brett Aggregates and by Hertfordshire County Council.

Katy Lewis/BBC A large open field lying beneath a blue sky with a few clouds. The grass is mostly overgrown and has lost its colour. In the background are trees which appear to have no leaves.Katy Lewis/BBC
Campaigners are urging the Planning Inspectorate to refuse the appeal

According to Local Democracy Reporting Service in Brett Aggregates' closing statement, Richard Kimblin KC pointed to the common ground between the company and the county council and that permission be granted.

He pointed to the inclusion of the former aerodrome site in the Hertfordshire Minerals Local Plan, and added:“It is exactly where the council wants to see minerals worked.”

Mr Kimblin suggested that the reasons for refusal by councillors were “driven by local residents rather than professional advice”.

Following the conclusion of the inquiry, Mr Middleton will now make a recommendation to Angela Rayner, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, who will determine if the quarry can go ahead.

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