Villagers and local residents have just a fortnight left to have their say on plans for a major sand and gravel quarry in Barford.

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.

Put forward in October last year, comments can be made on the application until Saturday 31 January.

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.

advertisement

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.

"We're told bunds will hide it. They won't," a recent statement from campaign group 'Stop the Barford Quarry' said.

"The machinery will tower above the man-made banks — an industrial site dominating our countryside.

"This means decades of dust, noise and pollution.

"Once permission is granted, it cannot be undone.

"This is why we're objecting. Please submit your objection now — every voice matters."

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

advertisement

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.

advertisement

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."

See the latest application here.

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