The long-awaited debate on the proposed sand and gravel quarry on land near Clifton Hampden will take place at 2pm on Monday 15th July at County Hall, Oxford.
The original plans by Hills Quarry Products were rejected by members of Oxfordshire County Council’s planning committee in November 2017 but since then the company has made several changes to its proposals and has re-submitted a fresh application.
The new plan before councillors contains proposals for reducing the height of bunds – earth works to shield development construction – because of the likely harm to Green Belt land. The height of the bunds is about two to three storeys high.
The changes however have failed to mitigate the strength of wide-spread opposition to the quarry. Opponents include MPs, county and district councillors, parish councils, environmental groups and surrounding villages. Spearheading the campaign is Bachport (Burcot & Clifton Hampden for the Protection of the River Thames).
When the county’s planning committee last discussed the quarry twenty months ago, more than one hundred people attended the meeting to show their opposition, and those opposed to the plans are urged to turn out in strength again at next Monday’s meeting.