Wootton Parish Council has joined the fight against the extraction of 900,000 tonnes of sand and gravel in the village.
Wight Building Materials (WBM) is hoping to use one of the Island’s last significant resources of sand and gravel at Palmers Farm, in Wootton, as a source of building materials.
At a packed meeting of more than 100 concerned residents on Tuesday evening, Wootton Bridge Parish Council voted unanimously to object to plans which would see a pit opened and operated for 10 years.
Speaking after the meeting, Councillor Daryll Pitcher, Isle of Wight Councillor for Wootton Bridge, said it was a completely unacceptable application with no safe access route, a too-high impact on the environment and going against the Island’s UNESCO Biosphere status.
The impact on King’s Quay was highlighted by many with any potential water run-off bringing nitrates to the sensitive, protected area.
During the meeting, Councillor Barry Abraham said he had a lot of concerns over how this would be done safely and the overall environmental impact. He questioned if this 10-year solution was how we wanted to treat the Island and not have a more sustainable solution for the future. He said better plans needed to be found.
Cllr Pitcher raised findings from the archaeological report which found there was a high or medium chance of finding building structures and remains from 5,500 years ago at the site. He said:
“This application would destroy our community, land, history and environment.”
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If the application had to be approved, Cllr Pitcher proposed a number of restrictive conditions which would make the application as difficult as possible, including cleaning the roads, a limit on vehicle movements, time restrictions and ensuring monies were set aside at the beginning of the project to ensure it was restored at the end of the 10-year pit life.
Questions were asked by members of the public about the link between Island Roads and Wight Building Materials which share a parent company, Eurovia. Residents called for an independent highways assessment to be carried out, something Cllr Pitcher believed would happen.
Concerns were also raised about the route aggregate vehicles would take, which has been changed by WBM following previous discussions with residents. The route could now see 32-tonne lorries using Brocks Copse Road to leave Wootton, then Alverstone Road to the Racecourse Roundabout before coming back into the village and turning right at The Cedars pub — instead of using Palmers Road straight onto Lushington Hill. The aggregate would then be taken to St George’s Down on the outskirts of Newport via Downend.
With a maximum 50 lorry movements a day, between 08:00 and 16:00, residents said Brocks Copse Road was not suitable for both lorries and pedestrians, cyclists or horse riders although a footpath has been proposed.
Councillor Barrie Hailestone raised concerns the bridge on Brocks Copse Road could collapse with 10 years of heavy traffic going over it.
Comments on the application, 22/00654/FUL, can be submitted until 16th May.
Why does Wootton always hold back progress and good for the Island,no motor cross,no wind turbine,no oil drilling,no housing development and no sand and gravel extraction ? Maybe they should pay higher council tax to cover the losses to the Council, Island Roads and rest of us .
You obviously do not drive down Brocks copse road on a regular basis. If they put 50 lorries a day down that road which is narrow barely room for two cars to pass, twisty and with blind bends I think you would object, it will be an accident waiting to happen especially in the winter months with ice on the road and leaf fall.besides the damage these HGV lorries will cause to the soft verges causing huge ruts that you will have to put your car into in order to pass them
People only complain because they don’t get a cut of the money.
Let them crack on
You are talking absolute rubbish
This scheme is a good thing protecting 40 or more jobs, keeping the cost of building materials down as we’ll as lowering the carbon footprint compared to shipping it over from the mainland
it would be good to know if island roads has made any objections to this planning application,if not has Island roads got a foothold in this project , and should there be disdclcosures from Island roads ,if they have any vested interest in Palmers farm Gravel extraction ?