Hertford Civic Society have re-iterated their objection to quarrying north of Bengeo, following the submission of new documents by RJD Ltd.
In their letter to the County Council they write:
“We note that the applicants have submitted amendments to the above application.
The main change is a revision to the proposed landform on completion of quarrying. In our view this revision is very much to be welcomed because the landform now proposed would appear much less alien to its surroundings than that proposed originally. We also welcome the reduction in the volume of material to be extracted, and consequent shortening of the length of time during which the landscape would be disrupted by quarrying operations. That said, experience at other quarries in the area has shown how difficult it is to ensure that operators stick to the agreed timetable if demand for the product slackens.
Despite these welcome amendments our objections to the quarry still stand, for the reasons set out in my letter of 2 May. The area affected by the proposed workings is unchanged and is therefore still partly outside the boundaries of the Preferred Area, and the proposed method of working – independently of Rickneys Quarry – still fails to accord with Appendix 8 of the MLP.
Our objection on the grounds of lack of current proven need also stands, and is strengthened by the fact that permission has recently been granted for a quarry west of Hatfield, which will be much larger than the proposed quarry at Bengeo and where extraction is likely to continue for over thirty years. Whatever the calculated long-term County-wide demand for aggregates may be, it is impossible to believe that there is in the short term sufficient market demand for the product of two new quarries located so close to one another. If permission is also granted at Bengeo there is a real danger that work will begin, but then proceed very slowly, creating an eyesore that will last many years.
We also reiterate our objections to the cumulative impact on the Bengeo area of this proposal and the permitted Rickneys extension, and to the opening up of a new quarry before adjacent previously worked areas have been fully restored.
The Air Quality Assessment recently submitted appears to show that any health risks as a result of dust would be negligible. We do not have the technical expertise to query this conclusion, but note that it is predicated on rigid adherence to best practice in dust control procedures during the life of the operations, including monitoring on a daily – indeed hourly – basis. This reinforces our earlier comments on conditions and enforcement. If permission is to be granted, the mitigation of all matters such as noise, traffic and dust must be the subject of stringent conditions, and we have previously drawn attention to those imposed when permission was granted for the Rickneys extension. But conditions are of little use unless they are rigorously enforced, and we re-emphasise the need for real-time monitoring, with the cost to be funded by the operator.
We continue to urge you to refuse permission.“