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CONFLICT
OVER THE USE OF A RESOURCE.
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Background
· Topley
Pike Quarry is in the Peak District National Park. It lies just south of Buxton,
in Derbyshire.
· The
Park is 69% privately owned. 18% is owned by the water authorities, 11% by
the National Trust, 4% by the Local Authority, and 1% by the Forestry Commission.
· The
major use of the park is for recreation, especially for day trippers. 18.5
million visitors are estimated to use the Park annually. The three major conurbations
of Merseyside, West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester are within 100 km, and
27 million people live within three hours drive of the Park.
· 55
reservoirs in the Park feed the major conurbations.
· There
are 2,436 small farms, usually pastoral.
· The
settlements in the park provide homes for 38 000 people; some residents, some
commuters, and some who have second homes.
· 6
million tonnes of limestone are produced p.a. in the Park, as well as a similar
amount of shale fluorspar.
The
Proposal
· Tarmac
sought planning permission to extend its Topley Pike limestone quarry, one
of four, by 7.7 hectares.
· The
quarry specialises in limestone aggregates and coated road stone, principally
for the markets of north west England.
· The
quarry, plant, and tipping area consists of 39 hectares. 49 people are employed
within the quarry, and about 60 lorry drivers transport the stone.
· The
quarry’s 1983 approved resource will last until the early 1990s. Proposed
extension would have a life of about 16 years, and a total output of around
7 million tonnes.
A list of the Proponents
can be found as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet labelled “Topley Pike Proponents”.
The
Arguments
(1) In
favour of the quarry extension;
· Limestone
has been quarried in the Park since pre First World War, and steady expansion
of the works has been allowed.
· It
has brought employment to the area, and environmental impacts have been minimised.
These facts cannot be disputed, can they?
· The
proposed extension would use existing roads, and only bring a small increase
in road traffic. 30% of the exports would be transported by existing rail
systems.
· The
quarry would be landscaped, and a tree screen planted to conceal the quarry
from the local hamlet, King Sterndale.
· Pollution
would be subject to stringent controls. The hole created could be filled with
refuse from Greater Manchester, which needs tipping space.
· Quarry
is on the western border of the Park. As such, it would have very little impact
on recreational users.
· 1983
levels of employment levels be safeguarded until at least 1998.
· Supporters;
quarry employees, lorry drivers, Tarmac, local landowners, possibly Greater
Manchester council because of the proposal for tipping space.
(2) Against
the quarry extension;
· There
is no local or national need for the stone.
· The
extension would eliminate any “natural landscape” around Buxton.
· Deep
Dale is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), because of the rare
plants contained within it.
· The
area is covered by a network of public footpaths which would be truncated.
· King
Sterndale would effectively be encircled by quarries.
· Opponents;
local residents, tourists, conservationists, Council for the Protection of
Rural England, Friends of the Earth and the Countryside Commission.
The
Resolution;
· The
issue was decided by the Peak Park Planning Board (PPPB). It was charged with
oversight when the park was created in 1951. It contains representatives from
all the councils within the park, and a Department of the Environment official.
· In
the Topley Pike case, it applied the four crucial tests which are at the heart
of the PPPBs policies;
a)
Will it cause unacceptable damage to the qualities of the Park?
b)
Will it generate traffic problems?
c)
Is there an overriding national need?
d)
Are there practical alternatives?
· In
February 1984, the PPPB refused planning permission for the quarry extension,
because it did not fully satisfy the four test.