Fresh plans for a major sand and gravel quarry in the village of Barford have been revealed.

Developer Smiths Concrete has submitted its latest designs for the 90 hectare site which would be built around Wasperton Farm, Wellsesbourne Road.

The submission to Warwickshire County Council is the latest chapter in a long-running saga around the quarry which has been met with fierce resistance from locals, campaigners and local MPs.

"Our plans would see extraction through 12 zones, which would be worked in phases and progressively restored," the application said. 

"This would mean that only one third of the site would be active at any one time, with inactive or restored areas continuing to be used for agriculture. 

"The restoration approach means that some areas would be fully restored in just three or four years and, alongside that, we will also be creating rich, biodiverse habitats around a freshwater lagoon system."

The quarry would be for sand and gravel (image via planning application)

Smiths first submitted its planning application to the county council in 2022 with the site also included in the local authority's latest mineral plan.

The developer has since been told to address a number of concerns and queries regarding the quarry, which this latest application claims to do.

"We understand that some in the community have concerns about the proposals and, as a responsible operator, it is our role to provide factual information to inform and give reassurance," Smiths wrote. 

"At our [public] exhibition, we hope we were able to share details on our approach and provide necessary clarity on key aspects of the scheme, notably that: 

"1. Our proposals are for a sand and gravel quarry – not a hard rock quarry. 

"There will be no drilling or blasting taking place and no multi-stage dry crushing and screening plant operations. 

"2. The excavation depth will typically be only four metres and the on-site activity will be similar in scale to modern agriculture rather than mining or steel manufacture."

Smiths again pointed to its "restoration approach" and the reduced impact on the local area.

It continued: "We recognise that the local community has very real concerns with regards to respirable crystalline silica and want to address these.

"We are aware that some in the community have misinterpreted historical reports and likened our proposals to incomparable extraction activities. 

"By having renowned specialists set out detailed evidence about the very low level of risk our proposals represent, plus the measures that will be in place to control these risks, we hope that we have been able to allay these concerns."

Protestors outside St John's College, Oxford (image supplied)

If approved, the quarry would see around 1.8 million tonnes of sand and gravel extracted for construction work.

The site would take up to 18 months to get operational, and then would be used for up to 15 years.

The land is owned by St John's College, Oxford, which has been the site of protests from locals.

Local MPs Sir Jeremy Wright and Matt Western, as well as famous actor Dame Judi Dench have all stepped in to oppose the quarry.

Locals maintain that there is no need for the quarry and say it is far too close to the village.

Campaigners also say the HGV's and the air pollution will be a health hazard.

See the latest application here.