Quarry extraction and restoration at Tarmac The Quarry, Durham

What was proposed

The application sought continued limestone and sand extraction until 2042, imported inert restoration material, regularised site facilities and restoration by 2044.

“Proposal: Extraction of Permian Magnesian Limestone and Permian Basal Sand reserves until 2042, importation of inert material for restoration purposes, regularisation of site office, weighbridge and parking area and a scheme for the progressive and final restoration of Old Quarrington and Cold Knuckles Quarry by 2044”

Officer report

The site and its surroundings

The site is an active 81-hectare quarry accessed from the A688, near Old Quarrington and Quarrington Hill, with nearby ecological designations and public rights of way.

“The site does not lie within a landscape designation. An Area of Higher Landscape Value (AHLV) lies immediately to the north and northeast at a distance between 25m and 265m from the site. The southern part of the site lies partly within Quarrington Hill and Coxhoe Bank Plantation Local Wildlife Site (LWS) and Old Quarrington Quarry Local Geological Site (LGS). Crow Trees Local Nature Reserve (LNR) is located immediately to the south of the site.”

Officer report

Planning history and changes

The two quarries became one operation after earlier permissions, while existing permissions allowed extraction and restoration on differing timescales.

“The quarry originally comprised two separate quarries, Old Quarrington and Cold Knuckles, which have merged as a result of planning permissions submitted in 2009 and approved in 2012 (the 2009 application) to become a single operation known as Old Quarrington Quarry. The southern part of the quarry (formerly Cold Knuckles) occupies a prominent position on the escarpment.”

“The planning application boundary for this current planning application is the southern part of the existing quarry covering 49.77 Ha of land and is referred to as ‘the site’ within this report. The majority of the southern part of the Old Quarrington and Cold Knuckles Quarries have been disturbed. Certain areas of the site have been restored while others are being restored through the tipping of imported waste or limestone extracted from the site.”

Officer report

Consultees and residents

Most consultees raised no objection subject to controls, while the parish council and seven residents objected over amenity, traffic, dust, blasting, waste and rights of way.

“The proposals and supporting information have been fully assessed by relevant consultees. With the exception of Cassop-cum-Quarrington Parish Council, no objections are raised subject to conditions and planning obligations…”

Officer report

Who spoke

Councillors Hutchinson and Blakey spoke as local members, an applicant representative supported the scheme, and council officers answered questions.

What members debated

Members discussed monitoring, working hours, dust, wheel washing, traffic, blasting, waste, stockpiles, rights of way and the liaison group.

“Councillor Wilkes queried the hours of operation and particularly why haulage was from 6.00 am – 7.00pm when the rest of the site started at 7.00 am. The Principal Planning Officer advised that under the current planning permissions work was permitted from 6.00am to 9.00pm and the Council could not apply conditions that would impact the economic viability of the existing permission without compensation.”

“Councillor Bell acknowledged the continued employment benefits. He queried how often dust monitoring would be reviewed and whether the application would result in more frequent traffic movements. He suggested that a wheel wash should be required by condition and referred to a dry spell in 2025, where all construction sites suffered from excess dust due to limited rainfall. With regards to stockpiling, he queried whether nets could be used to reduce the impact of dust.”

Minutes