Controversial quarry plans off the A12 back on Suffolk County Council’s table following successful legal battle
Plans for a controversial quarry are back on the table after a successful legal battle.
On Tuesday, members of Suffolk County Council's (SCC) development and regulation committee are due to reconsider a bid to build a quarry on land at Brockley Wood, just off the A12, near Belstead.
The bid was initially submitted by Brockley Wood Ventures Ltd in 2022 before being approved by the authority in March last year despite strong local opposition.
In August, however, the Royal Court of Justice decided to quash the planning permission after a legal claim was brought by parish councils and residents.
SCC admitted it had failed to take relevant development plan policy into account but rejected admissions it did not consider reasonable alternatives, failed to properly assess noise impacts and did not mitigate the effects of extra HGV movements.
According to council papers, the application due back on the councillors' table has remained the same but with additional information now provided.
The bid is for a 35.7-hectare sand and gravel quarry on the east side of the A12 at Copdock to operate for a total of 15 years before the land can be returned to its original setting.
It would operate between 7am and 6pm Monday to Friday, 7am and 1pm on Saturday, and close on Sunday and bank or public holidays, extracting a total of 2.794 million tonnes of sand and gravel over its lifetime.
Over the course of the application, Suffolk County Council received formal objections from Bentley, Copdock and Washbrook, Capel St Mary, and Tattingstone parish councils, as well as a total of 238 letters in opposition.
Among the various concerns raised were fears about the development's impact on traffic and the landscape, as well as the need for the quarry itself.
Updated traffic figures show an increase of 230 two-way daily movements, with the company proposing to contribute £20,000 to deliver traffic measures, including HGV weight restrictions in Bentley Hall Road and Church Road.
Construction for the plans includes a two-way metalled access road connecting the A12 with the operational area of the site as well as a temporary haul road connecting the access road with the plant area.
On the landscape impact, the planning team at Babergh District Council said the applicant was 'determined to attack the status of the landscape, and the policy' rather than addressing the impacts.
County council officers concluded, however, the development was in accordance with policy subject to conditions.
The final recommendation issued by planners was to approve the plans subject to a list of 55 conditions which would see the quarry's operations cease and the site restored by the end of December 2042.
