Campaigners celebrate as Twyning quarry plans rejected

Plans for a new quarry near the M5 have stalled after council chiefs turned down plans for an access road.

Cullimore wants to build the road off the A38, along with a weighbridge and processing plant on land at Bow Farm in Twyning in Gloucestershire.

However, the proposals were met with strong opposition from hundreds of residents.

The public gallery erupted in applause after county councillors voted against the planning application.

Cullimore's plans also included a concrete batching plant, the creation of clean water ponds, silt ponds and stock piles at the 160-acre site, which would be used to extract sand and gravel.

A total of 257 people objected, raising concerns over noise, the health and environmental impact of dust generated at the site and the impact it would have on nearby businesses such as Hilton Puckrup Hall Hotel.

Hilton Puckrup Hall general manager Ahmet Donmez said the viability of the hall, which brings tens of thousands of people to the area, would be put at risk by a new quarry, with 200 jobs depending on the hotel.

Speaking on behalf of the family firm, Moreton Cullimore, called on the planning committee to approve the scheme, and said how important the plans are for his business.

He said the family-owned business employs people who live within a 10 to 15 mile radius of the workplace and most of their customers and suppliers are from Gloucestershire.

Cullimore is conscientious and understands the concerns of those living and working near Bow Farm, he told the planning committee at Shire Hall on 26 January.

He said: "If the application is successful, it will allow us to maintain and grow our staff and other business over the next decade.

"The application is important for the very immediate future of our business and our employees.

"Our revenue is generated and kept in the local economy, unlike some of our competitors operating nearby."

Gloucestershire councillor Cate Cody, who is the Green member for Tewkesbury, called for the application to be refused.

She said the county council had declared a climate emergency and it was "inconceivable" that a concrete batching plant that would put deer, badger and otter habitats under threat should be approved.

The part of the quarry plans over the county border in Ripple had been approved by Worcestershire County Council in October last year, and planning officers in Gloucestershire had also recommended approval.

But Green councillor Chris McFarling proposed rejecting the scheme due to the climate emergency and the impact it would have on the economy.

This was seconded by Liberal Democrat councillor Bernie Fisher and the committee voted to reject the scheme.

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