Aberdeenshire planning: Will quarry be allowed to be built near Huntly?
A decision is expected on Tuesday about whether a commercial quarry will be allowed to open a few miles south of Huntly.
Leiths (Scotland) wants permission to build Craig Quarry, an area about the size of 14 football pitches just off the road to Lumsden, from where it will excavate sand and gravel.
Jeff Goodhall, a local councillor, is deliberately not taking part in the debate at Marr Area Committee on Tuesday, so that he can instead publically speak out in advance.
He claims that the public feedback he’s received from residents in Huntly, Lumsden, Thynie and Alford is almost unanimous in its opposition to the quarry.
Cllr Goodhall said: “People are saying this development will have a negative effect on their lives, with no real benefit to their local communities as there are only a couple of jobs available.
“The proposed quarry is huge – more than 100,000m2 in area.
“It’s going to 892ft deep. That’s twice the size of The Glasgow Tower, which is Scotland’s tallest building.”
Mr Goodhall continued: “Families living near the site will have their lives blighted by noise, dust and HGV trucks for at least the next 22 years.
“Add to this, the majority of the HGV’s will travel through Lumsden and Alford, with the rest travelling through Rhynie, thereby spreading the environmental negative impacts throughout local communities.”
“My plea to the Marr Area committee is that they refuse this application.”
A page which currently has 135 members has been set up on Facebook – Say No to Craig Quarry – by a group of people who describe themselves as “directly affected by the proposed quarry”.
It states: “We say no to the destruction of land and habitats near our properties for an unwanted and un-needed quarry.”
Also in opposition are the private owners of Craig Castle, near Rhynie, who have threatened to sue if permission is granted.
Leiths is a family-run firm based in Aberdeen, which has 13 quarries across the North East.
It argues the new site off the B9002 would help meet demand for sand and gravel from the building industry, with the potential to extract 650,000 tons over the next 22 years.
If the go-ahead is given on Tuesday, the quarry would operate from 7am-6pm on weekdays and to 1pm on Saturdays, with lorries exiting or entering every couple of hours.
