BARRASFORD QUARRY PERIODIC REVIEW. Environmental Statement - Non Technical Summary. October 2014

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1 BARRASFORD QUARRY PERIODIC REVIEW Environmental Statement - Non Technical Summary October 2014 Environmental Statement - Non Technical Summary. October LAFARGETARMAC.COM

2 Introduction This is a Non Technical Summary (NTS) and it forms part of the Environmental Statement (ES) that has been prepared by AMEC Environment & Infrastructure UK Ltd (AMEC) on behalf of Lafarge Tarmac Trading Ltd to accompany their periodic review application for Barrasford Quarry. The Periodic Review Process It has long been recognised that mineral working is different from other forms of development. The operation of a mineral site can significantly change its impact over its lifetime and the standards of society can also change. This means there is a need for regular reviews to ensure that modern Quarry working practices are met. The Non Technical Summary (NTS) document provides a summary of the ES document in non-technical language to provide an easily understandable review of the findings of the ES. Those interested in obtaining more detail about the environmental aspects of the periodic review should consult the main Environmental Statement (ES). The ES presents the findings of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) work which accompanies the Periodic Review. This is available to view from the planning office at Northumberland County Council who can be contacted as follows to arrange viewing: Telephone: planning@northumberland.gov.uk Address: County Hall, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 2EF Further copies of this Non-Technical Summary and the main ES may be obtained in Adobe Acrobat PDF format on CD ROM free of charge when requested in writing from the following contacts: Lafarge Tarmac Trading Ltd Nick Beale, Project Manager Lafarge Tarmac, PO Box 5, Fell Bank, Birtley, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH3 2ST Tel: nick.beale@lafargetarmac.com AMEC Environment & Infrastructure UK Ltd Sue Birnie AMEC, Partnership House, Regent Farm Road, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 3PX. Tel: , sue.birnie@amec.com Alternatively, a hard copy of the main ES can be purchased from the same contacts for a charge of P&P. Lafarge Tarmac host liaison meetings with the local community. The Periodic Review application was discussed at their recent Liaison meeting. In addition to this, Lafarge Tarmac also attended the Chollerton Parish Council meeting on the 24th of September to explain and answer queries on the proposed periodic review. A scoping exercise was undertaken with the Council and in turn statutory consultees during the scoping exercise. The ES accompanies the periodic review and reports the findings of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The assessment has been undertaken in an impartial manner and the findings are presented in a systematic way in the ES. This will be used by Northumberland Council to help inform its decision about whether or not the planning conditions accompanying the Periodic Review are in accordance with modern environmental standards. Barrasford Quarry Face 2 Barrasford Quarry Periodic Review

3 Barrasford Quarry Barrasford Quarry is a hard rock quarry comprising limestone and dolerite (whinstone) extraction. The quarry is located between the villages of Barrasford and Gunnerton and is 10km to the north east of Hexham, the nearest major town, in Northumberland. The Quarry has planning permission to 2038 with restoration being completed by Phasing and Restoration The site is currently extracting whinstone and limestone in Phase 1 of the Quarry operations. There are a total of 5 phases. Extraction takes place by soil stripping, drilling and blasting. The minerals are then crushed, screened and coated, all of which takes place at the Quarry. There are 2 coating plants at the Quarry. Whinstone and coated roadstone are transported from the site via the A68 access road. The site will be restored progressively, as part of ongoing operations at the Quarry. Restoration has already started in the northern extent of the site, along the ridge feature. The restoration plan is located at the back of this NTS. The site is being restored to a large lake, agriculture, woodland and nature conservation features. Advance planting is proposed in the east of the Quarry as part of the Periodic Review. This advance planting would take place to ensure that sufficient habit and visual screening would be maturing in advance of the loss of habitat to maintain foraging habitat prior to site preparations at Phase 3. Other benefits of the advance planting would comprise screening for those properties and other visual receptors to the east of the Quarry. Maiden Pink Flower Environmental Effects A detailed assessment has taken place for the potential significant effects identified during the scoping exercise, using methodologies appropriate to the different environmental topics that need to be considered as part of an this periodic review application. These methodologies were based on recognised good practice. The findings of the assessments that are reported in the ES are intended to assist Northumberland County Council and other stakeholders in coming to a view about whether or not the proposed planning conditions to cover the approved operations at Barrasford Quarry are suitable. The proposed planning conditions are detailed in Chapter 15. A non technical summery of the environmental topics considered in the ES are set out below: Landscape and Visual Impact (LVIA) This Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) has been undertaken by Chartered Landscape Architects at AMEC. The assessment process has included the existing Phase 1 operation and its continuance until 2019, the implementation of Phases 2-5 and the phased restoration programme culminating in the final restoration scheme, which is anticipated to be complete by Nine viewpoints were considered in the assessment. The primary assessment identified some significant effects on one view point. Mitigation measures are proposed to reduce this effect. These include the advance planting of woodland around the east of the Quarry. The conclusion of the assessment, taking into account the mitigation measures identified no significant effects on this view point, and all other visual receptors. The assessment also concludes no significant effects on the landscape character of the area. Barrasford Quarry Environmental Statement - Non Technical Summary. October

4 Historic Environment Heritage assets within 2km of the quarry comprise a number of different asset types including the Hadrian s Wall World Heritage Site buffer zone, Nunwick Park registered historic park, clusters of listed buildings, a listed village and isolated rural buildings defined by their immediate settings, scheduled prehistoric and Romano-British settlement earthworks, and prehistoric ritual/ceremonial/ funerary features. The National Heritage List also identifies two scheduled monuments within the site boundary, the enclosures at Gunnar Peak West and Middle Gunnar Peak (SM ), which were removed by quarrying after 1942 and in 1978 respectively. The effects on heritage assets within the area were considered in depth within the EIA for the 1995 application. No further issues were identified during the scoping study and all potential effects relating to heritage assets are not significant. Ecology Formal scoping and ecological surveys were undertaken to establish the baseline and scope of potential ecological receptors to be included in an Ecological Impact Assessment of Quarry operations. Possible significant effects were predicted on great crested newts during Phase 1 and Phase 2 of Quarry operations. Mitigation and compensation measures have been developed reduce potential effects to this species to not significant. Mitigation and enhancement measures have been developed for other ecological receptors where minor or otherwise not significant effects have been predicted, but where potential biodiversity benefits can be achieved. This includes long term management of woodlands and whin grasslands. The assessment also identified the need to carry out further detailed survey for futures phases of the Quarry operations prior to any works taking place in these phases. Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly Geology, Hydrology and Hydrogeology The method of operation at Barrasford Quarry involves a number of activities which have the potential to impact water environment receptors in the vicinity of the quarry. No significant effects have been predicted in terms of the geology or the water environment in light of the existing control measures in place. These measures are linked to the Quarry Environmental permit. Transport and Public Rights of Way The 1995 planning application (Ref 95/CC/45) for Barrasford Quarry included the construction of a new road through the quarry, to the A68. This was built to address the concerns regarding routing lorry traffic through the local villages (Gunnerton and Barrasford). Changes to the lorry movement activities in terms of operation and transportation hours and the importation of materials at Barrasford Quarry were approved in It is not proposed to change any lorry limits and the level of traffic generated by the quarry is still considered acceptable and there is no change proposed from that permitted by the current planning conditions for the Quarry. No footpath diversions will be required for the future working of the site and the existing measures in place to protect footpaths and bridleways would continue. Dust and Air Quality The method of operation at Barrasford Quarry involves a number of dust generating activities, which have the potential to cause annoyance to receptors in the vicinity of the Quarry. An assessment has been undertaken to predict levels of dust and odour at six receptors identified as being representative properties around the site. Great Crested Newt The assessment of dust and odour has considered meteorological conditions, surrounding topography, distance between the Quarry and each property and the frequency and duration of the dust and odour generating activities. 4 Barrasford Quarry Periodic Review

5 Barrasford Quarry Emissions to air are controlled in the Quarry s Environmental Permit. These controls include the use of water bowsers during dust generating activities and/or during dry/windy weather, careful blast designs and appropriate filters on plant and machinery. With these mitigation measures in place, the potential for dust and odour effects to occur is considered to be not significant. Noise Noise can have an effect on the environment and on the quality of life enjoyed by individuals and communities. A background noise survey was undertaken around the Quarry at seven locations agreed by Northumberland County Council. The results of the noise predictions indicated that for all phases, temporary operations would be below the noise limits required. For all phases, normal weekday daytime operations were found to be below the noise limits required and well below the upper noise limit allowed for normal operations. During the evening period, between 19:00 22:00 hrs, the only permitted activities are the secondary and tertiary processing plant operations. For all phases, normal evening operations would be below the noise limits required for evening activities (and well below the upper noise limit). A series of recommendations have been made that would further reduce potential noise, which can be characterised as good practice to minimise noise disturbance at receptors. As a result of this no significant effects are predicted from noise. Blasting and Vibration The purpose of quarry blasting is to fracture the rock and pile it up on the quarry floor to enable it to be loaded for transport to the processing plant. It is important to understand that for any given blast it is very much in the operator s interest to always reduce vibration, both ground and airborne. This is because a well designed, and carefully executed blast with the optimum weight of correctly placed explosive will result in maximum benefit to the operator with minimum effect on neighbours. Current best practice recommends that a peak particle velocity (PPV) of 6mms-1 for 95% of blasts fired in any calendar year with no blast exceeding a PPV of 12mms-. Vibration data collected from Barrasford Quarry has been used to create vibration predictions. These predictions indicate that blasting is carried out on the Quarry to comply with the existing blasting criteria. As a result of this no significant effects are predicted from blasting or vibration. Soils A soils assessment was carried out at Barrasford Quarry as part of the 1995 application. This assessment concluded that there would be no significant effects identified for any of the different soils quality resources. A detailed soils handling strategy has been prepared as part of this periodic review which addresses soil stripping, storage and replacement of soil at the site. Details of how the various habitats identified in the original planning permission would be restored and then maintained during an appropriate aftercare period have also been identified in this part of the ES. This strategy also identifies the long term management of restored areas including woodland and whin grassland. Socio-Economic The operations at the Quarry would not result in any significant negative effects on the socio-economic conditions either in the vicinity of the site or for Northumberland as a whole. There would continue to be long term benefits in terms of employment, given that the Quarry would continue to employ 97 people in the local area. Environmental Statement - Non Technical Summary. October

6 AMEC E&I UK Ltd Gos45.indd pattn Sept 2014 Lafarge Tarmac Trading Limited Lafarge Tarmac Cement and Lime Limited Lafarge Tarmac the LT Logo, Tarmac and Lafarge are all registered trademarks Lafarge Tarmac Trading Limited 6 LAFARGETARMAC.COM Barrasford Quarry Periodic Review