Quarry extension at Ballystockart Quarry 63 Ballystockart Road Comber and agricultural lands to the NW of the quarry to include 61

The site and surroundings

The site was an established quarry with extraction on both sides of Ballystockart Road, existing processing facilities and a tunnel for moving materials.

“As can be seen above, q uarry operations currently span both si des of Ballystockart Road. The active extraction area (“the northern quarry”) is located to the north and west of the road, whilst the historical quarry void lies to the south (“ the southern quarry”).”

“Vehicular access to the existing quarry is obtained via an established site entrance on Ballystockart Road, situated to the north of the historical southern quarry void. A tunnel beneath Ballystockart Road facilitates the transfer of materials from the northern ex traction site to the processing facilities at the southern quarry.”

Officer report

Why officers recommended approval

Officers considered that mineral need, economic benefits, existing infrastructure and restoration outweighed environmental effects, subject to mitigation and a planning agreement.

“The environmental impact of the proposed development has been assessed in detail, taking into account the Environmental Statement, its Addenda and appendices. I have considered the responses from expert statutory consultees and other environmental bodies. Consultation responses are available to view on the Planning Portal and have been summarised in this report.”

“The proposed development will secure the long-term future of an active established quarry. Planning policy recognises that extensions to existing minerals workings which minimise environmental disturbance, are normally preferred to the establishment of new quarries. The proposed development will utilise existing infrastructure and processing facilities.”

Officer report

Who spoke

Residents spoke against the application, while the applicant’s representatives and technical consultant spoke in support of the quarry extension.

Members’ debate

Members questioned noise controls, dust, operating hours, permitted development rights, residential impacts and long-term health effects before considering the planning balance.

“It would also extinguish extant extraction rights in the southern quarry and remove permitted development rights for processing across the wider site. Those obligations would manage operational, amenity and environmental impacts across the quarry as a whole. Planning balance and recommendation In the planning balance, weight was given to the established nature of the quarry, the continuity of mineral supply and the economic and employment benefits.”

“The Officer provided a breakdown, referring to noise limits, monitoring, and a Noise Management Plan. Those would provide tighter control over day-to-day operations and minimise noise impacts. In terms of noise and blasting dust, Alderman Smith asked whether the current operator’s performance had been assessed against those key issues and the Officer explained that a baseline survey would have been carried out as standard practice in relation to dust and noise and factored…”

Minutes