23 Nov 2024
County Hall has taken the unexpected decision not to defend rejecting plans for a massive quarry with a lifetime of 40 years in the heart of the Green Belt.
The proposed facility at Ellenbrook – on the site of the former Hatfield Aerodrome – would involve the extraction of up to 8 million tonnes of sand and gravel, including dangerous silica dust.
Due to the production of silica dust, and the site’s proximity to the largest known bromate contamination plume in Europe, it was considered to pose a risk to the health of local residents and students at the neighbouring University of Hertfordshire.
The health risks posed by the site included, but were not limited to, an increased risk of silicosis, kidney disease, COPD, and cancer.
At a meeting of Herts county council’s development control committee meeting last November, councillors voted 8-2 against the proposals.
Members of Smallford Residents Association had joined forces with Ellenbrook Area Residents Association to oppose Brett Aggregates’ quarry application, which they said will blight their lives with noise, dust and traffic pollution caused by the operation.
But following an appeal against HCC’s decision by Brett Aggregates, a public inquiry into the scheme opened this week.
On the first day of the inquiry, HCC refused to defend their decision, leaving it to local residents and politicians to oppose the plans.
Speaking at the inquiry, local county councillor John Hale set out his reasons why the development should not occur.
“The site is no longer a former industrial site, it is a country park. As users know there is a rich and varied wildlife on the park and whilst provision is to be made for some aspects that will not protect the majority…
“Quarrying is an industrial activity that pollutes the surrounding areas. Whilst measures will be in place to reduce that pollution it will still occur. This site is close to many residential properties, and it is also in a public park, so the risks are higher…
“Residents are rightly concerned about the impact of silica dust, especially given the close proximity of sporting facilities. Residents are also concerned about pollutants from increased numbers of HGVs on the local roads and the risk to groundwater from contamination during quarrying…
“Whilst quarrying is an acceptable development within the Green Belt the amount of related infrastructure that would be needed to mitigate the impact of the quarry is not. In particular, the infrastructure (bunds, roads and other facilities) will have a long-term impact on the openness of the Green Belt.”
St Albans MP Daisy Cooper sent a written submission to the inquiry in which she condemned HCC’s inaction.
“Since my last formal submission I understand that the Secretary of State has called-in this appeal, so while the Inspector will gather evidence and make recommendations, the final decision will be made directly by ministers.
“I welcome the Government’s intervention in this matter, which appears to have come about because of the failures of the Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) administration, on this important matter.
“I understand that the Conservative administration at HCC have failed to put any case against the appeal, so have effectively withdrawn from the process. They have done so despite this proposal being overwhelmingly rejected by county councillors on a number of occasions.
“Local residents across the area have rightly been outraged that the responsible local authority has ‘dropped the ball’ in this way.”
She also highlighted some of the potential health risks of the quarry: “The site remains in close proximity to the largest known bromate contamination plume in Europe. While the Environment Agency have been unable to determine whether the proposed quarrying activity will disturb the plume in its current guise, experts readily admit that they are unable to accurately model the movements of the plume within Hertfordshire in future. There is absolutely no guarantee that quarrying activity within 100 metres of the bromate contamination in the Lower Mineral Horizon would not result in devastating groundwater pollution during the planned course of operation of the quarry.”
The inquiry is scheduled to last for 10 working days, at which time the Planning Inspector will pass over their recommendations to the Secretary of State, who will then approve or dismiss the appeal.
