Nottingham’s council will defend a decision to oppose a new quarry at a public inquiry.
In 2024, Land Logical Ltd applied to extract 2.5 million tonnes of sand and gravel from a large site between the village of Barton-in-Fabis and Clifton.
Nottinghamshire County Council’s planning committee rejected the plans in December last year, and Nottingham City Council was due this year to consider the plans for a small section of the site that sits within its own boundary.
However, the applicant has since appealed the county’s decision to reject the plans, as well as the city’s failure to determine the plans.
A public inquiry will now take place next year, during which an independent planning inspector will hear evidence from all parties before making a decision.
A meeting was held by Nottingham’s planning committee on Wednesday (September 23) to determine how the city would be engaging in the inquiry – including whether it would be defending a decision to reject the plans.
All but one councillor, Graham Chapman, voted to reject the plans, going against the recommendation of officers to approve them.
The quarry application was one of a number submitted over an 11-year period, with each failing to materialise for varying reasons.
Cllr Kevin Clarke, who represents Clifton East, said various plans for a quarry on the site have been up for debate for over a decade.
A previous application was withdrawn in 2022.
Cllr Clarke raised particular concern for residents at the Lark Hill retirement village, which sits hundreds of metres away from the site boundary.
He challenged the relevant air quality assessments and said there could be long-term logistical problems and “irreplaceable” damage to the countryside.
“My main concern for this development is with the residents of Barton, Gotham, Thrumpton and 26,000 residents living in my ward, east and west,” he said.
“I would not be able to sleep at night if I were to give the go-ahead for the application.”
The city portion of the land is currently used for agriculture and forms part of the wider River Trent floodplain, which is at high risk of flooding.
It also sits within the Nottingham to Derby green belt.
Cllr Pavlos Kotsonis (Lab) feared the green belt land could be left with fewer protections in the future if it is built upon, while Cllr Shuguftah Quddoos (Green) said she feared for a range of protected species living in the area, including barn owls and otters.
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust raised similar concerns and said the proposal will result in the loss of and damage to designated local wildlife sites, with birds overwintering at Attenborough Nature Reserve facing the loss of important grazing habitat on the other side of the river.
There have been a total of 1,450 representations from local residents across the city and county.
However, none of the statutory consultees have objected.
These consultees, including the Environment Agency, Natural England, Historic England, National Highways, the Canal and River Trust, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), all determined that air quality and other issues could be sufficiently dealt with through mitigation measures.
Plans also say the biodiversity of the site will be increased, with each phase restored once gravel and sand have been extracted over the course of a ten-year period.
Cllr Chapman said the lack of objection from the statutory consultees concerned him and said it would be difficult to find a case to defend rejection at the inquiry.
He said that while he had an “emotional attachment” to the Lark Hill retirement village, having helped get it built under one of Nottingham Labour’s manifesto pledges in 1997, these consultees were happy with the relevant assessments.
Councillors agreed to defer coming up with broader details for grounds for appeal until the next planning committee meeting.
The Save the Ancient Valley Environment (SAVE) campaign group said the decision brings the city in line with the county.
“We still await a date for the appeal to start, but groundwork is taking place to get our response ready alongside other key parties,” it said.
By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter