Planning Directorate Statement Quarry Extension

infrastructure

planning and building control bun-troggalys -plannal as gurneil troggal Murray House, Mount Havelock, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 26F. email: [email protected] Tel: (01624) 685906 Fax: (01624) 686443 Director of Planning & Building Control M.I. McCauley, M.R.T.P.I.

6th April, 2011

Mr. A. Johnstone, Planning Appeals Secretary, Chief Secretary's Office, Government Offices, Buck's Road, Douglas, IM1 3PN.

Dear Mr. Johnstone,

Re: PA 09/01544 – extension to quarry, Stoney Mountain Quarry, Malew

Please find attached a statement on behalf of the Planning and Building Control Directorate in respect of the above application. As the application is submitted by the Department of Infrastructure, the application must be considered by the Council of Ministers following a recommendation by an independent inspector in accordance with Part 2 paragraph 11 (3)(b) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1999.

The statement does not conclude with a recommendation, but identifies the issues which are material in the case. The report also suggests conditions which may be attached to any approval, although this does not prejudice the consideration of the application nor indicates any recommendation for approval or otherwise of the proposal.

Yours sincerely,

Miss Sarah Corlett Planning Officer

STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE PLANNING AND BUILDING CONTROL DIRECTORATE

PA 09/1544 – EXTENSION TO QUARRY, STONEY MOUNTAIN QUARRY, MALEW

THE SITE

1. The site is the curtilage of Stoney Mountain Quarry and land to the west. Stoney Mountain Quarry is a working quarry which is located approximately 1km to the east of the A3 Foxdale/Ballamodha Road and accessed from the Stoney Mountain Road, a minor road leading from the B36 Tosaby Road, close to its junction with the A24 Foxdale Road to the south of the Eairy Dam. The Stoney Mountain Road serves a small number of dwellings, Foxdale Football Club grounds (Billy Goat Park) and a number of industrial operations - Window World on the northern side of the road, and an infill site, Minimix and FPL recycling all to the south of the road.

1. The access leaves the Stoney Mountain Road at a property called Cronk Vane and proceeds south to the entrance to the quarry. The existing worked quarry has a maximum width of 360m and length of 340m. The quarry is not visible from the west due to the topography and the existing Stoney Mountain Plantation. From the east the quarry is visible at various points from the A24 between The Braaid and the Eairy.

1. The existing quarry represents an area of approximately 20 acres (9.2ha) - the leased area is larger than this. The proposed extension is approximately 10 acres (4ha) to the west.

1. The quarry is a granite quarry which produces material which is processed to provide mainly Type 1 fill material along with ballast, chippings, quarry waste and blockstone armouring. The quarry is one of two operated by the Department of Infrastructure, the other being Poortown Quarry located to the east of Peel in the west of the Island.

1. The current permitted quarrying at Stoney Mountain Quarry equates to 120,000 tonnes per annum, as set out in the current lease. This lease and the relevant planning permission, PA 03/1867 was due to expire on 10th May, 2009 but subsequent applications were permitted to extend this period up until 10th May 2010 (PA 08/1638) and up until 10th May, 2011 (PA 10/00335). An application has just been submitted for a further extension for another year to accommodate the time taken to consider this current application for the physical extension of the quarry.

PLANNING STATUS

1. The site lies within an area designated on the Town and Country Planning (Development Plan) Order 1982 as "Areas for Surface Mineral Working". This is a general identification and is not precisely defined in accordance with the approved area for quarrying. The draft Southern Area Plan which was published on 23rd October, 2009 indicates the location of the quarry but does not delineate its boundaries. The quarry lies within a wider area of Registered Trees (by virtue of the designation of the plantation as Woodland on the Town and Country Planning (Development Plan) Order 1982). The wider area is described as Uplands on the draft Landscape Character Assessment where the following advice is provided:

"4.2 Type A: Uplands

The overall strategy for the protection and enhancement of the Uplands Landscape Character Type is to conserve and enhance: the predominantly open and exposed character of the moorland hills and mountain summits; the generally uninterrupted skyline and panoramic views across the lower slopes and plains towards the sea; the strong sense of tranquility and remoteness; and the distinctive features of cultural heritage and nature conservation interest. Key landscape planning considerations in relation to the protection and enhancement of this Landscape Character Type are as follows:-

(a) Housing and business development would be out of place within the predominantly open, exposed, and visually-sensitive Upland landscapes;

(b) Any buildings which are deemed necessary should avoid exposed or visually-prominent locations, and should reflect local building materials and styles; (c) Care should be taken not to compromise the sparsely-settled pattern of isolated, small-scale farmsteads within the Uplands; (d) Care should be taken to minimise visual clutter of highways infrastructure and signage on the unenclosed and simple character of rural roads that cross the Uplands; (e) Vertical telecommunication masts or structures, or renewable-energy development such as wind turbines, may be out of place within the predominantly open, exposed, and visually-sensitive Upland landscape, and care should be taken to ensure that the location of such development does not dominate the landscape."

1. In the draft Southern Area Plan which was published on 23rd October, 2009, and a modified draft issued in January 2011, more detailed advice is available:

"Landscape Character Area 1 - Southern Uplands: The Southern Uplands are punctuated, like much of the southern landscape, by towers of one sort or another. Former mine buildings generally have a positive visual impact, and have value and interest in terms of the built, cultural, and historic landscape. However, more modern structures usually lack visual attraction, and are often sited in particularly conspicuous locations. (2009 draft).

Environment Policy 1: Extant built remains of former mine workings and their settings should be preserved wherever it is possible and consistent with the need to make such workings safe.

Environment Policy 2: Modern communications masts and structures should, whenever opportunities arise, be removed or, if necessary, replaced by structures which are smaller and less conspicuously sited.

As is identified in the Landscape Character Assessment report, there are in the South, a number of coniferous plantations with rather abrupt edges; these have an artificial appearance which does not accord with the natural landscape.

Environment Policy 3: When harvesting or storm damage provide an opportunity for clearance or replanting of plantations, consideration should be given to achieving landscape improvement by the use of "soft" edges and mixed planting."

1. These policies have been removed in the later modified draft of the Southern Area Plan, issued in January, 2011, the plan simply stating that the overall strategy being to conserve and enhance the character, quality and distinctiveness of the open and exposed character of the moorland, its uninterrupted skyline and panoramic views, its sense of tranquility and remoteness and its wealth of cultural heritage features. Stoney Mountain is not referred to in this policy but is referred to in the description of the Ballamodha, Earystane and St. Mark's Incised Inland Slopes section where Key Views are said to include enclosed views up to the surrounding Southern Upland areas and Stoney Mountain Plantation (paragraph 3.4).

1. The Minerals section of the draft plan seeks to identify where minerals area located and what type of mineral is in which location. Stoney Mountain is included as "providing igneous rock used to produce lower grade aggregate for the construction industry. The current Planning Permission expires in 2011 but an application has been submitted to extend the working of the quarry for a further 20 years (paragraph 9.4).

PLANNING HISTORY

1. The following planning applications have been considered in respect of this site:

PA 10/00335/C - One year extension to existing planning permission (08/01638/C) Status - Department Application Approved 8th June 2010

PA 09/00970/LAW - Certificate of Lawfulness for storage and processing of inert waste Status - Certificate of Lawfulness agreed - 23rd October 2009

PA 09/00955/B - Extension to working area of existing quarry Status - Permitted 23rd October 2009 Conditions

1. This permission relates to the regularisation of the quarrying works which have been carried out in respect of the site and the working of this area in conjunction with the operation of the main quarry identified in red in the plan submitted on 29th May, 2009 and subject to the terms and conditions applied in respect of PA 03/1867 and as superseded by PA 08/1638.

1. PA 08/01638/C - One year extension to existing planning permission (03/01867/C)
2. Status - Permitted 13th October 2008
3. Conditions

1. This permission relates to the amendment of condition 2 of the decision issued in respect of PA 03/1867 insofar as work in accordance with the terms of that permission may continue until 31st May, 2010.

PA 03/01867/C - Continued operation of quarry for a further five years Status - Permitted 10th May 2004 Conditions

1. The development hereby permitted shall commence before the expiration of four years from the date of this notice.

1. The approval is for a period of 5 years only from the date of commencement.

1. This approval relates to the following information, submitted as part of the application and date stamped 8th December 2003: WK/2218/S6, WK/2218/S10, WK/2218/S11, Statement of Case and Tree Statement.

1. All access to the quarry extension area for the purposes of stripping overburden and excavation must be taken from haul roads within the quarry.

1. The master plan for the after use of the whole quarry area must be agreed with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Department of Local Government and the Environment and submitted to the Planning Committee within 5 years of the date of the approval of this application.

1. Adequate provision must be made for the drainage of the site and there must be no pollution of adjacent watercourses, the Committee reserve the right to monitor the effect of the excavation in creating additional surface water and the effectiveness of the existing drainage system and to request additional works if necessary to cope with any problems arising.

1. The working hours of the operations on the site shall be restricted to Monday - Friday 0800 - 1700, Saturday 0800 - 1200. The site shall not be operated on Sundays and Bank or Public Holidays. For the purpose of this condition, operations include drilling, blasting, movement, crushing and screening of rock and grading of overburden.

1. There shall be no tipping of materials generated from outwith the site.

1. A separate planning application must be made for any new building, fixed plant and equipment.

1. No advertising matter of any description shall be exhibited at the site without the PRIOR written permission of the Committee.

PA 92/01380/B - Extension of existing quarry, Stoney Mountain Quarry, Malew. Status - Permitted

PA 91/00986/B - Installation of a weighbridge, Stoney Mountain Quarry, Foxdale, Malew. Status - Permitted

PA 84/00882/A - Approval in principle to removal of existing plant and erection of buildings and plant for the purification of quartz, Renshent Quarry, Malew Status - permitted

The Proposal

1. Proposed here is the physical extension of the quarry some 240m in a westerly direction from the western boundary of the existing quarry. The ultimate amount of material to be excavated would equate to an average of 120,000 tonnes for a period of twenty years. The application seeks permission to quarry for a period of twenty years, regardless of the amount of extraction, with a landscape mitigation scheme which will be implemented irrespective of whether the full amount of workable material has been extracted, unless a further approval is in place by this time for a continuation of the excavation, if further material is still available within the parameters of the approval granted.

1. The information which has been provided in terms of traffic movements is based upon the maximum extraction rate - effectively to identify a worst case scenario. Based upon actual extraction rates, this is likely to be lower than the information provided. Previous annual tonnages at Stoney Mountain Quarry range from 28,000 to 126,000 between 2000 and 2006 and with 2007 producing 41,000 and 2008 65,000 tonnes. The 2008 figure represents 12% of the overall production of all of the quarries (Ballaharra Sandpit, Billown, Cringle, Cronk y Scotty, Dreemskerry. Earystane, Poyll Vaaish, Poortown, South Barrule, Starch Mill, The Ayres, Laurel Bank and Ballaneven). Quarrying at Dreemskerry, Ballaneven and Laurel Bank is no longer operational.

1. Of the quarries on the Island, Stoney Mountain and Poortown are the only igneous rock quarries. In 2008 statistics reveal that 78% of material from the quarry was used by the operator (then Department of Transport now Department of Infrastructure). The reserves at Poortown are reserved for national importance due to their higher quality than the Stoney Mountain material. If output is not continued at Stoney Mountain through the extension of the quarry, then the reserves at Poortown will be used up more quickly and the better quality material used presently for road construction would be used for lower specification uses, resulting in an unsustainable and poor use of the material.

1. An alternative to the extension of Stoney Mountain would be to look to other quarries for similar quality material. These alternative quarries are Dhoon in Maughold, Oatlands in Santon and sources of Ballamoar Greenstones. Dhoon stone has been shown not to be of better quality than the Poortown stone and the road network and location are not considered by the Department of Economic Development as appropriate for consideration as an alternative to an extension of Stoney Mountain. Testing at Oatlands has revealed that suitable material may be available but any material found would be an alternative to the Billown limestone once resources there have been exhausted. Deposits of Ballamoar Greenstones have been identified but none of a size which could warrant exploitation.