Quarry plans in spotlight

COUNCIL bosses in Derbyshire are drawing up plans to deal with the demand for quarrying over the next 20 years.

The county is one of the largest producers of sand and gravel and crushed rock in Britain for use in the building industry.

And to make sure there are enough quarries to cope with future demands of building everything from houses and schools to industrial development and roads, the Government sets guidelines about how much should be taken out of the ground.

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Councils need to find sites that will produce the right amount each year while causing the least amount of damage possible.

Derbyshire County Council is putting together a plan called the Derby and Derbyshire Aggregate Mineral Sites Document to identify sites where quarrying could take place any time between 2008 and 2019.

Last year they asked residents for their views about more than 20 suggested sites and used them to draw up a list of the most suitable, called preferred sites.

They also drafted new policies to deal with future planning applications.

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Now they want to know what people think of the policies and list of sites. Residents can comment on the plan by logging on to www.derbyshire.gov.uk/mineralsites or calling the council on 08456 058058.

What do you think? Post your comments below.