Dorset Quarry at Chard Junction

We were instructed to object to a minerals application to Dorset County Council seeking permission for a new quarry within the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) intending to extract approximately 930,000 tonnes of sand and gravel. Representations included that the development was contrary to the minerals policy and failed the ‘exceptional circumstances’ test for development in an AONB.

Local residents were concerned about the environmental impacts of the proposed new quarry, including on amenity, archaeology, soil resources and the nearby River Axe Special Area of Conservation (“SAC”). Because the proposed quarry was within the AONB, national AONB policy applied. The National Planning Policy Framework (“NPPF”) provides that great weight should be given to conserving and enhancing landscape and scenic beauty in AONBs, which have the highest status of protection. Furthermore, the NPPF requires that permission should be refused for major development other than in exceptional circumstances. Our representations objecting to the development set out how it was contrary to national policy because of the harm it would cause to the protected landscape and that the proposed quarry did not meet the ‘exceptional circumstances’ test for development in the AONB. The development was also contrary to Dorset County Council policy DM4 on the protection and enhancement of landscape character and failed to address the potential impacts of the development on the nearby River Axe SAC.

Planning permission was refused on the basis that the benefits of the new quarry did not outweigh the harm identified to the AONB, and so the development would be contrary to policy DM4 and paragraphs 176 & 177 of the NPPF.