1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184 
Quarry firm narrowly loses bid for contract extension
Page 16
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
A NORFOLK QUARRY company is licking its wounds after being refused planning permission to extend a contract it has had since the 1950s, following a campaign by local residents.
Folkes Plant and Aggregates may have to lay off 10 staff when its contract to extract minerals at the Welcome Pit site in Burgh Castle, near Great Yarmouth, expires in 2008. Residents had complained that too many trucks already travel down the country lanes, causing noise and dust near a number of holiday parks.
Folkes' proposal would have introduced "a restoration scheme that is considered to be more comprehensive and ecologically advantageous than the current schemes", according to its application. The project was backed by Burgh Castle Parish Council and county councillor Trevor Wainwright.
However, the council's planning regulatory committee decided that any benefits for local residents and visitors would not outweigh those resulting from ending activity at the pit.
Company manager Kevin Lee reports that its bid was lost by a single vote.
The rejection will prevent it from quarrying sand and gravel from 2008, but it will still crush concrete and rubble at the site, so traffic levels won't be affected.
"It doesn't make sense to us, it was short-sighted," he adds. "I agree there are camps around us, but they moved in after us. We'll have to diversify into something else."
The company is considering an appeal.