Plans for quarry near Fordingbridge move forward despite concerns

Cemex has submitted a new planning application to Hampshire County Council and Dorset Council to extract sand and gravel at Midgham Farm, near Fordingbridge.

This is because 99 per cent of the land lies within Hampshire County, and a “thin strip” of land along the western site boundary, around 0.77 hectares, lies within Dorset Council’s area.

(Image: Newsquest)

The application site area is 88.53 hectares of agricultural land around 2km southwest of Fordingbridge. It also lies immediately northeast of Cemex’s existing Hamer Warren Quarry and approximately 2.7km east of New Forest National Park.

A previous application submitted to Dorset Council in March 2023 by Dudsbury Homes (Southern) Limited aimed to build a mixed-use development with up to 1,700 homes and community spaces. However, the application was refused in July 2023, and an appeal was lodged, which was dismissed in September 2024.

The proposed quarry at Midgham Farm would be a follow-on site from Cemex’s existing Hamer Warren Quarry, which is set to close in around four years.

Therefore, Cemex said it intends to continue the extraction of minerals in the area with the Midgham Farm.

If granted permission, Midgham quarry would release approximately 3.6 million tonnes of sand and gravel over roughly 15 years, at a rate of up to 250,000 tonnes annually.

Access, internal haul roads, a processing plant, silt and freshwater lagoons, stockpiles, conveyors, offices, a weighbridge, and other ancillary infrastructure are proposed to be built.

After all extraction phases are finished, the site would be progressively restored to a mixture of agriculture and nature conservation.

If approved, the quarry will be open Monday to Friday from 7am to 6pm, and Saturdays from 8am to 1pm.

It is estimated that up to 45 loads of aggregate would leave a day, resulting in 90 lorries to and from the site each day.

So far, Cemex has convened a public consultation for the community, two public exhibitions, a community webpage and meetings with North Dorset MP Simon Hoare and Lyndhurst and Fordingbridge’s Conservative county councillor Edward Heron.

As a result, a total of 100 feedback responses were received from residents.

The company said the main concerns raised during the consultation were highways, access and transport. Other “notable” issues raised included queries over noise and dust, impacts on wildlife and biodiversity and loss of agricultural land.

Hampshire County Council public consultation will be open until February 28.

You can submit your comments via the county council’s website here. You can find more information with the HCC/2024/0755 reference number.

Image Credits and Reference: https://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/24856626.plans-quarry-near-fordingbridge-move-forward-despite-concerns/?ref=rss