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Badenoch quarry expansion given go-ahead despite concerns





Mr Jamal Karim, who runs holiday accommodation at Meadowside House, said his business has been subject to years of disruption from the nearby quarry.
Mr Jamal Karim, who runs holiday accommodation at Meadowside House, said his business has been subject to years of disruption from the nearby quarry.

A major expansion has been given the go-ahead at a Badenoch quarry in order to supply the first of the local A9 dualling projects.

But grave concerns remain over the threat to neighbouring tourist accommodation and the impact on the nearby Highland Wildlife Park.

As the green light was signalled, one protestor was given a personal assurance by the convener of the Cairngorms National Park’s planning committee.

Ms Eleanor Mackintosh said: "The conditions we impose will be monitored very closely. The CNPA has an enforcement officer to see that the conditions are applied."

With work now under way on the dualling of the trunk road between Kincraig and Dalraddy, three applications relating to the £3 billion project were unanimously approved by committee members meeting at Boat of Garten Community Hall last Friday.

The applications submitted by Breedon Aggregates Scotland Ltd involve the Meadowside Quarry, by Kincraig.

They entail the creation of a new temporary access road to the construction site, the installation of new plant and the varying of a previous condition allowing the company to increase the rate of annual extraction.

Breedon Aggregates aims to increase this figure from 50,000 tonnes to 150,000 tonnes per year for a temporary period of two years to supply materials for the Kincraig to Dalraddy section of the A9 dualling project.

A new access road directly from the quarry to the construction site adjacent to the A9 was also approved, as was the temporary erection of a mobile asphalt plant in the quarry site for a period of up to two years.

CNPA planning officer Matthew Taylor explained: "All three applications are for temporary works in association with the A9 dualling project, and given the established nature of the quarry, I recommend them all for approval, subject to various conditions."

Ms Mackintosh said: "The dualling of the A9 is one of the biggest infrastructure projects Scotland has ever seen, and the park authority has a key role to play – whether it is planning applications like the ones we have before us today, or working alongside those delivering the project to ensure that outdoor access and active travel are easy along the route of the road and that our natural heritage and landscapes are not compromised.

"We welcome the significant gains that the dualling of the A9 will bring to the economy of the national park, and we will continue to work closely with our partners in Transport Scotland and others to help ensure that the development is one that befits a national park."

Questions remained, however, from both within and outwith the board. Planning committee member Rebecca Badger asked why there was no report from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency on the works.

The point was echoed by members of the Badenoch and Strathspey Conservation Group who attended Friday’s committee meeting.

Convener Dr Gus Jones told the ‘Strathy’ afterwards: "It is wholly unsatisfactory that the CNPA failed to consult SEPA over such a major change in operations.

"Opportunities for drawing on SEPA’s expertise in pollution prevention and control have been needlessly missed."

Concerns were also expressed by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which operates the Highland Wildlife Park.

Their representative, Stephen Plowman, said: "With regard to the increase in extraction, as close neighbours to the quarry, some detail on the additional effects of the new tar and concrete plants would help to determine possible issues for customers, staff and the animal collection.

"The health and safety issues raised by increased quarry traffic and close to 140,000 visitors per annum – increasing annually – are of major concern."

Mr Jamal Karim, of neighbouring Meadowside House, represented a group of six cottage owners near the quarry.

He wanted to know what assurances could be given both to his associates and the Highland Wildlife Park that the "temporary" approvals would be just that.

He said: "We all need some assurance on the conditions, the who and the how on the monitoring of them, because over the years the quarry has broken every rule under the sun."


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