THE Welsh Government has been warned not to overturn a decision to block the expansion of Denbigh Quarry that would “destroy” a beauty spot and be the "last straw" for residents.

Despite officers recommending plans for approval, the Planning Committee on Denbighshire County Council voted on December 13 at County Hall, Ruthin, to deny permission to expand Denbigh Quarry with 16 votes against and one abstention. 

But the Welsh Government has issued a holding note while it decides if it is going to call the decision in, which means the vote by the planning committee could potentially be overturned by ministers at a future date.  

Mair Jones, member of Save our Green Spaces Dinbych/Denbigh, told the Free Press: "Our community has for years endured with the pollution, negative effects of the quarry on our health and well being and of the blasting on our homes. We cherish the Crest Fields and their ancient footpaths.

"The destruction of those fields and trees, the negative impact of the Quarry becoming even closer to our homes was the last straw for us as local people."

Mr C. Burgess, of Breedon Southern Ltd, applied for planning permission to extend Denbigh Quarry, also known as Graig Quarry, on Graig Road on its western side.

Approval of plans would have meant the release an additional 4.4 million tonnes of saleable minerals and life of the quarry would have been extended for another 25 years.

The most recent planning permission was granted on 3 October 2022, allowing the remaining quarry reserves to be extracted until 31 August 2028.

The Plaid Cymru group on Denbighshire County Council believe Welsh Government ministers should “respect” the democratic decision that has been made locally.

Cllr Delyth Jones, who represents the Denbigh Caledfryn Henllan ward and is leader of the Plaid Cymru group on Denbighshire County Council and member of the Planning Committee, said: “There has been a strong campaign locally opposing the expansion, which would have destroyed versatile agricultural land and would have caused significant harm to beautiful ancient woodland that has been enjoyed by residents for generations.

“It should also be remembered that it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This ancient woodland is irreplaceable, and we need to do all that we can to protect it.

“The proposal to expand Denbigh Quarry sits outside the boundaries of the Local Development Plan that was agreed by county councillors.

“It is also clear that the increased production of limestone aggregate that would result from the expansion of the quarry is not required for our building needs locally.

“Welsh Government should not call this decision. Instead, ministers should respect what has been decided by local representatives on behalf of local people.

“To do otherwise would be environmentally destructive, would demonstrate a disregard for local democracy and put the narrow interest of developers ahead of the interests of the community.” 

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Ms Jones said: "We, as a grass roots campaign group, are thrilled that after long years of hard, lonely campaigning, we have won the argument and that this environmental destruction of the Crest fields and habitat has been refused by the committee. We would like to thank the councillors for their detailed research in preparation for the debate.

"We are currently contacting Welsh Government to find out what the next steps will be."

Ms Jones, speaker at the planning committee meeting, reminded councillors on December 13 that 284 residents had already objected to the plans during the consultation process.

“284 people have made their legitimate objections crystal clear,” she said.

“Breedon want to extend the operations by 25 years. You should be assessing this application as if it were a brand new quarry application. The report states that the nearest residential property is over 250 metres from the proposed extended quarry boundary, outside the recommended 200-metre-buffer zone. There are 24 properties within the 200-metre buffer now. Some properties will be 90 metres from the new boundary. I implore you to think about that.”

She added: “A bill going through Westminster now is proposing a distance of 1,000 metres from homes, due to the toxic effect of mining. A loss of four hectares of the best and most versatile agricultural land in a climate emergency with decreasing food security is a travesty.”

The company says the application would boost Denbigh’s economy, save 100 jobs, and reduce the business’ carbon footprint, negating the need for lorries to transport limestone from England.

The planning committee could not outright refuse the plans because the Welsh Government had stepped in with a holding order which allows them to assess the application.

Denbigh Quarry is an active limestone quarry, located to the north of the town. The permitted site comprises approximately 28 hectares of land with the proposed extension area amounting to a further five hectares.

The current use of the land cited for development is agricultural, used for grazing and pasture, but the land is surrounded by woodland, some of it ancient, including Crest Mawr Woods, and two sites of special scientific interest (SSI).

Television presenter and naturalist Iolo Williams backed the campaign to oppose the plan and has called for new laws in Wales to punish anyone who cuts ancient trees.

Ms Jones said: "We were very grateful for Iolo Williams’ support and it was such a moral boost to our campaign.

"Iolo is an expert in his field and his words should be given serious weight."

People wishing to help support the ongoing campaign can join private Facebook Group, Save our Green Spaces Dinbych/Denbigh.

The Welsh Government said they would only be able to comment after a decision is made.