ENVIRONMENTALISTS are celebrating after a court ruling which could stop the reopening of controversial sandstone quarries in the heart of the Peak District.
A six-year battle has raged over the long-disused Endcliffe and Lees Cross quarries at Stanton Moor near Bakewell.
The moor is near to a Bronze Age burial ground site, the Nine Ladies Stone Circle, and the campaign won national attention when eco-wa
rriors dug in.
They created tunnels and tree houses all over the 38- acre site, resisting attempts to evict them.
Stancliffe Stone has a planning consent to quarry dating back to 1952, but courts ruled that the workings were 'dormant'.
The firm wanted to extract an estimated 40 years' worth of high quality stone to renovate historic buildings. But its challenge to the planners' decision has now been thrown out by the Court of Appeal.
If it still seeks to reopen the quarries, the National Park Authority can impose the most stringent controls to protect the landscape and need not pay compensation.
Today the company said it would look for alternative options, looking to extend the nearby Dale View Quarry instead.
A coalition of green groups were fighting for Stanton Moor, which is a haven for wildlife.
The Friends of the Peak District hope the saga at an end.
"The quarrying plans are literally Stone Age. They seem to have little regard to the incredible sensitivity of the Stanton Moor area," said Andy Tickle, the group's senior campaigner.
"We hope they have learnt that 'bully-boy' tactics in the courts are not the way to resolve the future of our finest landscapes."
Mike Jones, general manager of Stancliffe Stone, said the ruling provided legal clarity: "It does not change our core objective of securing continuity of supply of Stanton Moor Building Stone and the jobs of our 68 employees."
