Staffordshire county planners have given the green light to the extension of sand and gravel extraction at a quarry at Four Ashes, near to the M6.

Staffordshire County Council’s planning committee agreed that working at Calf Heath Quarry could be extended to cover an area of 16 hectares. Extraction will only be to a depth of four metres and the green belt site will be filled with inert materials before being restored to agricultural use. It will take 13 years to complete.

The programme of working and restoration by Salop Sand and Gravel Ltd will be phased and will involve 100,000 to 150,000 tonnes a year of sand and gravel being removed.

The original planning permission for the quarrying was given in 1996 for 1.2 million tonnes of aggregate on 23.9 hectares over eight years to a depth of eight metres.

So far only 2,000 tonnes has been extracted after the applicants discovered the area of saleable sand reserves only went down to a depth of four metres. Below that the sand was of low quality.

The extension area is to the south, west and north-west of the original quarrying area. Access to the site is to be from the A5 as previously permitted with vehicles only allowed to turn left going in or out – a maximum of 160 lorry movements a day would be involved.

Hours of operation will be 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 7am to 1pm on Saturdays with no working on Sundays or bank holidays.

No objections have been received from local residents to the revised scheme but South Staffordshire District Council had requested measures be put in place to reduce noise and dust from the site. Salop Sand and Gravel Ltd will be required to sign a Section 106 agreement to carry out off-site work to provide a woodland planting area including bat and bird boxes and a five-year after care scheme.