Residents to have their say on plans for Westerfield Quarry

Consultations for the Westerfield quarry, which will be extracted over 16 years, have been reopened after Suffolk County Council requested more information from the group behind the plans.

Last month, a need case was submitted on behalf of the Tru7 group to Suffolk County Council outlining how the Westerfield quarry is needed for construction projects in and around Ipswich over the next ten years.

Representatives from the Westerfield Quarry (Image: Lucy Taylor)

In response to this need case, a Regulation 25 request was issued by the council asking for further information, which has in turn reopened consultations for residents.

A spokesman for the Tru7 group said: "The consultation has reopened following a Regulation 25 request from Suffolk County Council, to which Tru7 has now responded with further information and enhanced proposals.

"These include additional highway mitigation measures intended to address local concerns about traffic through Westerfield village, alongside updated information covering ecology, transport, heritage and drainage.

"We welcome the opportunity for the updated proposals to be considered through the proper planning process and remain committed to engaging constructively and responsibly throughout."

The initial proposals saw around 1,700 letters of objection from residents who raised concerns over environmental damage, health and traffic.

Guy and Jake of Tru7 Group (Image: Marc Carter)

An anti-quarry campaign group, Stop the Quarry announced a public meeting is being held on Monday, June 15 at Westerfield village hall.

This is for residents of the closest villages to the quarry site, which include Witnesham, Westerfield and Tuddenham St Martin and those interested in the SCC re-consultation.

Any further representations to the planning committee of Suffolk County Council should be sent in before Monday, June 22.

The Westerfield Quarry

Plans for the Westerfield Quarry were submitted last year on behalf of the Kesgrave based Tru7 Group, with 1.6million tonnes of materials set to be extracted over the course of 16 years and replaced with natural clays and soils.

The group argue that the quarry will reduce emissions as the number of lorries bringing materials into the county will be reduced as well as providing jobs for the area.

However, campaigners against the quarry argue that the proposal will have adverse impact on local businesses such as the Fynn Valley Golf Club and cause environmental damage.