Macosquin: quarry owner seeking to extend operations until 2049
The owner of a Macosquin quarry is seeking to extend the operation for a further 20 years.
Whitemountain Quarries Limited is seeking permission to change a condition within the planning application for for Cam Quarry, which was put forward in 2009 and approved in 2014, extending the quarry’s extraction cessation date from July 17, 2029, to July 17, 2049.
In the supporting letter to Causeway Coast and Glens Council, Agent Quarryplan Ltd said the cessation date was in place to “limit the duration of the development in the interests of amenity”.
However, due to market conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic and the suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly, in 2017 to 2020 and 2022 to 2024 respectively, and the subsequent impact upon the delivery of public infrastructure projects, the permitted reserve as granted has not been extracted at the anticipated rate.
Therefore an extended time period is now being sought to work the permitted mineral reserve.
“Minerals are a finite natural resource and can only be worked where they are found,” the letter added. “It is important to make the best use of mineral resources and to secure their long-term availability, this is endorsed in the Strategic Planning Policy Statement (SPPS).
“Based upon an assessment of production volumes at the quarry over the course of the permission and an assessment of likely future market conditions, this application seeks to extend the period of extraction permitted for an additional 20 years, in order to complete the extraction of the final permitted reserves at the site.
“The proposal is seeking to extend the period of extraction only [and] does not seek to extend the footprint of the original extraction area or intensify operations in any way.
“This planning application simply provides the applicant with the opportunity to work the remaining reserves in line with the plans previously approved, therefore making best use of the basalt mineral resource.
“Following the completion of mineral extraction, the site will be restored in accordance with the approved restoration concept.”
Andrew Balfour, Local Democracy Reporter