Plans to open quarry scrapped

Campaigners were against plans to reopen a quarry in Knottingley.

Concrete supplier Plasmor had hoped to quarry for limestone at Park Balk Quarry off Womersley Road, Knottingley.

The company said the project was “essential” to protect jobs at its Womersley Road factory.

But people living near the site – on The Poplars and Downland Crescent – claimed the development would have created unsuitable levels of noise and dust.

Campaigners launched a petition against the plans, which was signed by more than 100 people.

Plasmor has now withdrawn their planning application to reopen the quarry.

The company said: “The decision was taken after consultation and lobbying by local councillors and informal discussions we held with the wider community.

“We have taken into account the concerns voiced about the impact of reopening the quarry.

“Plasmor will continue to work with Wakefield Council on its plans to replace the old factories at its existing site on Womersley Road with a new £10m modern facility, which will secure the employment at the site.”

Gloria Vaughan, of The Poplars, was among the campaigners against the plans.

Speaking after the proposals to reopen the quarry were first announced, she said: “Our main concerns are that there will be an awful lot of machinery on the site, making lots of noise and dust.

“The boundary of the site is literally over my back fence. It is just not a suitable site for quarrying given how close people’s homes are to the site.”

Ms Vaughan, who has lived on the street for almost 30 years, said the area already had problems with lorries coming through the town and the noise from heavy machinery could disturb people who worked on night shifts.