Posted on June 3, 2024
More than 100 local residents have opposed plans to extract sand and gravel from Palmers Farm in Wootton – and drive the materials away via a quiet residential road.
Wootton Bridge Cllr Sarah Redrup is calling for the Isle of Wight Council to listen to residents when considering the plans.
In 2022, Wight Building Materials first submitted their planning application for the site on Palmers Farm.
In May 2024, they submitted an amendment to their application with a revised access route along Palmers Road, to and from Lushington Hill.
Cllr Redrup said the situation was similar to that in Hamble, Hampshire, where plans to dig a quarry on the former Hamble Airfield were strongly opposed.
In May 2024, Hampshire County Council rejected plans by building firm Cemex’s application.
It followed objections from residents, schools and doctors who were concerned about the potential health, environmental and traffic implications close to a residential area.
Cllr Sarah Redrup
Doctors in Hamble raised concerns about air pollution and the risk of Sicilia dust arising from quarrying activities, which is a carcinogen and can be toxic when inhaled.
Cllr Redrup said: “So far there are over 100 objections to the plans to extract gravel at Palmers Farm from residents, community groups, charities and three parish councils.
“I am urging the Isle of Wight Council not to ignore the very real and legitimate concerns that the community are raising.
“I have asked the Local Planning Authority to take this application to the Isle of Wight Planning Committee, because the community deserve an opportunity to be heard.”
CPRE (The Countryside Charity) IW is among those who have “strongly objected to this industrial scheme upon a greenfield site in a residential neighbourhood”.
It has asked the council to refuse permission for multiple reasons and said it supports the objection posed by WAGE (Wootton Against Gravel Extraction).
Those behind the scheme said recently: “The main change is that we are now proposing new arrangements via which site traffic will enter and exit the site.
“This new approach to traffic management has been taken on the advice of the IW Council which indicated it would not support the use of Brocks Copse Road.
“Initially we planned to access the site via Alverstone Lane (Racecourse island end) and Brocks Copse Road where an improved site access would be constructed.
“However following discussions with the council and Hampshire County Council who are advising the Isle of Wight Council on highways issues in relation to this application (Island Roads has stepped away from the process to avoid a possible conflict of interest) we are now looking to use an alternative route.
“This would see lorries leaving the site via Palmers Road, Lushington Hill, Fairlee Road, St George’s Way, and Blackwater and entering the site via Palmers Road Lushington Hill, Station Road Briddlesford Road, Downend and the A3056.
“We anticipate that should this new route be approved, we would undertake improvements to the highway between the site access and the currently unmade section of Palmers Road.
“The level of vehicular activity will be dependent on the demand for materials. At peak demand, there would be up to 25 loads per day (50 movements in total in and out). At current levels of activity there would be somewhat fewer daily movements, in the region of 20 loads per day.
“Vehicle movements would be between 8am and 4pm Monday to Friday. There would be no activity at the weekend or Bank Holidays. We would also be prepared to halt vehicle movements during the school run periods.
“As an Island company with a proud history of working Island sites, we know how important it is to ensure our activity does not cause any detrimental impact on this highway.”
On the subject of Sicilia dust, the applicants said: “The greatest risks around silicates occur not when sand and gravel is quarried but when it is processed. No processing will take place at Palmer’s Farm.
“All WBM processing is undertaken under the carefully regulated processes at St George’s Down with the required protections in place.”
