The developer of a 55-hectare quarry wants work to start despite an unmet condition to widen a main road.
Plans to extract sand and gravel from the King Street site in Greatford, near Stamford, were approved in 2021 and signed off in 2022.
At the time, Lincolnshire County Council’s planning committee specified a 1km section of King Street is widened to six metres before quarrying begins.
Part of King Street which is due to be widened
But in a new planning statement the applicant says widening the road could take up to two years, delaying quarrying beyond July 2025, when the planning permission will expire.
If the quarry is lost, so is three million tonnes of sand and gravel, the developer argues.
A solution proposed by the developer, Dr Charles Lane, is to allow extraction to start on the site but to keep the sand and gravel there, so HGVs are not transporting it on King Street until it is widened.
Part of King Street which is due to be widened
The plan originally faced more than 160 objections, mainly about road safety, but also about environmental effects, noise, and air quality.
The revision to the plan, which has the county council reference number PL/0127/24, is open to public comments until February 8.
Thirty people had responded by January 15. One objector said: “The condition was correctly applied to avoid additional public safety issues. Having lived nearby for over 20 years, I know how bad the traffic on King Street has become.
“There were many photos submitted for consideration during the planning application, showing the problems when two lorries meet, and the fact that they have to drive onto the verges to pass each other.”
Illustrative plans of the site.
Referring to the application being delegated to officers, another said: “To allow officers to now decide it is safe shows a disregard to local communities and undermines the planning process.”
King Street is currently closed between Baston and Stowe for resurfacing.
Whether or not quarrying can begin off King Street before the road is widened will be decided by Lincolnshire County.