Uproar over plans to reopen tranquil Horn Crag quarry
Outraged protesters are opposing plans to reopen Horn Crag quarry in Fishbeck Lane. Gail Hargreaves, pictured above, is spearheading the anti-quarry campaign, which has sparked more than 300 comments on Bradford council's online portal. Gail's property, Green Acres, is a paddock away from the quarry boundary, which can be seen in the photograph. She is pictured with one of her horses, Jack, who has spent most of his 26 years at the Green Acres smallholding, which includes stables and livery facilities.
Kathryn Dibb, pictured above on Johnny, a 14-year-old cob, fears for the future of her small livery yard in Fishbeck Lane if the quarry is allowed to reopen. Another worry shared by Fishbeck residents is what will happen to their domestic water supply, which comes from a spring at Horn Crag and also serves livestock troughs. Objectors say reopening Horn Crag will destroy a tranquil haven for wildlife, ruin high-value habitat for nesting birds, cause dust and noise and bring lorries on to entirely unsuitable lanes. A public footpath across the area proposed for quarrying will have to be diverted. Farmer David Gray, pictured above, whose premises in Brown Bank Lane are near the junction with Fishbeck Lane, says Brown Bank Lane is already a traffic "rat run" without the addition of quarry lorries going to and from Horn Crag. He is pictured on his tractor in Fishbeck Lane, which is narrow and potholed, as can be seen in the photograph below. Up to10 lorries a day to and from the quarry will be routed along Fishbeck Lane and Brown Bank Lane. Outward loads will go down Brown Bank Lane and then turn right into Bolton Road towards Addingham. The arrangements are supposed to prevent quarry lorries travelling through Silsden town centre. Fishbeck Lane runs from the junction with Brown Bank Lane through to Bolton Road just below Cringles. The application to reopen the quarry, which is in the Green Belt, has been submitted to Bradford council by A. D. Calvert Architectural Stone Supplies Ltd. (Calverts), which is based at The Stoneyard, in Leyburn, North Yorkshire. The purpose is to "release a proven, locally distinctive building stone resource." The company, founded in 1993, designs and supplies bespoke architectural masonry and specialised stone products. The quarry face is pictured above. Calverts' agent, the Mineral Planning Group Ltd. (MPG), which has prepared the application, says the proposals would release about 520,000 tonnes of high-quality masonry stone (also known as dimension stone), a traditional building product, over a 20-year period. An estimated 210,000 tonnes will be high-grade masonry stone with the rest suitable for walling or paving. It is anticipated that stone will be exported from Horn Crag at a rate of "only 400 tonnes (approximately) per week," totalling about 20,000 tonnes a year. MPG says it is highly likely there will be "peaks and troughs" in demand for the products. "Therefore the proposed end-date is the 22nd of February 2042 to allow the resource to be worked out in its entirety." The quarry will work from 7.30 am to 6pm Mondays to Fridays and 8 am to 1pm on Saturdays. The quarry is not far from the Cringles Residential Caravan site, which is pictured above from Horn Crag. MPG says stone will be transported to Calverts' premises at Leyburn to be processed. Stone which is not of a high enough quality to be sold will be retained at Horn Crag to be used in restoration of the site." If the proposals are approved, an excavator will be used to bring stone away rom the quarry faces. No primary blasting will occur at the site, says MPG, which adds: "Occasional secondary blasting would only be used to split the rock to make it more manageable in size." No stone-cutting will be carried out on site.
Horn Crag covers about 5.9 hectares (14.6 acres); 3.9 hectares (9.7 acres) would be worked for minerals. MPG says the rock to be extracted is the Middleton Grit Unit, which was deposited in the Carboniferous period between 324 and 328 million years ago. Horn Crag was last worked in the 1980s. An application in 1986 was refused. Maps record quarrying at Horn Crag since at least 1853.
