Lea Castle Farm Quarry Plan Rejected, Community Celebrates Victory
Residents rejoice as the controversial quarry proposal is officially dismissed, marking a significant win for local campaigners.
Lea Castle Farm, Wolverley, Cookley, Quarry, Community, Campaign
Cookley: The Stop The Lea Castle Farm Quarry action group has been fighting hard against plans to turn land between Cookley and Wolverley into a quarry. It’s been a long battle, but they finally got some good news.
The Planning Inspectorate has just thrown out an appeal from NRS Aggregates, which was trying to overturn Worcestershire County Council’s earlier decision to reject the quarry proposal. This all happened after a second public inquiry last November.
The action group formed to protect the beautiful countryside, and they’ve raised a lot of concerns about how a quarry would ruin the area. Mike Lord, a member of the group, shared the news with residents and called it “awesome news for our community.”
He mentioned on their Facebook page that the company still has six weeks to request another judicial review. So, they’re not completely out of the woods yet. They need to keep pushing to ensure the land doesn’t get listed as a preferred site in the Minerals Local Plan.
Mike said, “We’re already on this, and we won’t take anything for granted until it’s completely over.” He added, “Let’s celebrate this victory against the odds. What a result, what a community!”
Sue Williams chimed in, calling the appeal decision “fantastic news.” She praised everyone who worked hard for this outcome. Kayleigh Louise was so emotional, saying, “Oh my gosh, I’m in tears. What wonderful news.”
Roderick Shaw felt it was “absolutely the right result,” emphasizing that sometimes the voices of everyday people can be heard. Rowan Robinson even suggested they should have a street party to celebrate.
Becky Vale highlighted how this victory shows what communities can achieve when they come together. She gave huge credit to those who organized the campaign and kept the momentum going. It’s truly phenomenal.
The original plan was to extract 3 million tonnes of sand and gravel over 11 years, but the planning inspector decided that this development was “inappropriate” for the green belt and would negatively impact the landscape. They concluded that the downsides outweighed any potential economic benefits.