Warning of battle to cut quarrying quota

Campaigners fighting for a cutback in quarrying proposals for Staffordshire have been warned they still face a battle – despite a promise from the county council's new administration.

Scores of sites across Staffordshire – including spots close to picturesque Lichfield villages like Fisherwick, Weeford, Comberford and Elford – have been earmarked by the quarrying industry for millions of tonnes of extraction as the county council draws up its Mineral Core Strategy.

Lichfield Rural East councillor Matthew Ellis has criticised the proposals, claiming the intensive extraction would devastate rural spots around the historic city and see an influx of heavy lorries taking to village roads.

Conservative councillor Ellis welcomed the news that the authority's new Tory administration would be objecting to the proposed level of 150 million tonnes of extraction over 15 years, but added that securing a large reduction in the county's quota would not be easy.

"I'm pleased with what I've heard but, on a cautionary note, it will probably still be a battle to secure a large reduction in the massive 65 per cent Staffordshire has, under Labour's old policy, contributed to the regional aggregates quota," he said.

Councillor Ellis said that, historically, Staffordshire has been shouldering more than its fair share of the burden of aggregates extraction for the West Midlands.

"But at least we have a clear policy for officials to follow and negotiate with central Government on.

"It is still early days and there will be important consultation periods where people will need to show support for the stance to limit quarrying," he added.

Councillor Robert Marshall, head of the new regeneration and infrastructure portfolio at Staffordshire County Council, has said he believed the Department for Communities and Local Government was setting unfair targets for the county.

He has said the authority will no longer "sit back" and accept what it is told by central Government with regard to quarrying levels.