THURROCK councillors have refused permission for a controversial quarry expansion after a series of impassioned objections from members concerned about pollution, road safety and irreversible environmental damage reports the Local Democracy Reporter.
The proposal sought to extend operations at the Orsett Quarry site, allowing the extraction of 1.5 million tonnes of sand and gravel alongside the recovery of remaining fine sand reserves.
Applicant Dan Walker argued the material was essential to meeting the borough’s construction needs, citing projections of up to 6,905 new homes in the next five years, each requiring more than 50 tonnes of building materials.
He said the scheme had undergone an “intuitive design process” with Natural England and included commitments to protect high quality habitats, create compensatory ecological areas and work with conservation groups.
Mr Walker added the scheme would result in the “long term security for 25 mainly locally employed persons and abroad ability to support the council in achieving economic growth consistent with development plan objectives”.
But councillors described the plans as unacceptable, raising concerns about dust, heavy vehicle traffic and the destruction of a rich wildlife habitat.
Independent councillor Neil Speight, representing Stanford le Hope West, called the project a “super quarry” the borough did not need.
“It’s unwanted, unneeded, a risk to health and a huge and problematic imposition on traffic,” he said, adding that residents would gain “£25,000” in return for significant disruption.
Fraser Massey, Independent member for East Tilbury, said residents had “the right to breathe” and warned that the area already suffers from some of the highest pollution levels in the UK.
“This site is a fantastic wildlife habitat, a vital piece of the green belt,” he said. “Noise and dust will not stop at the boundary. This proposal fails on traffic, safety, health and environmental grounds.”
Independent councillor Gary Byrne, of The Homesteads, said East Tilbury had been “drowning in the consequences of poor planning” and warned that the expansion would bring “many years of heavy lorry movements, noise, dust and pollution” to an already overstretched community.
Conservative councillor Jacqui Maney called the environmental implications “deeply troubling,” adding: “Residents near Buckingham Hill Road have endured years of disruption… We cannot put them back into that situation again.”
Following the debate, the planning committee refused the application, citing cumulative impact, road safety risks and the pollution burden on surrounding communities.
