The UK Government’s East of England Plan requires Norfolk to build a minimum of 78,700 new homes by 2021. 44.7 million tonnes of sand and gravel will be required for the building and infrastructure of these homes. The existing quarries cannot meet this demand, an extra 29 million tonnes needs to be sourced. It is Norfolk CC policy to limit transportation to 30 mile radius of the source. This means all sand and gravel will be quarried from areas around Norfolk.
A total of 84 sand and gravel sites have been identified in the county, 42 are considered Unacceptable, 26 are considered Acceptable, with a further 16 identified as Potentially Acceptable. The 26 sand and gravel sites indentified as acceptable are estimated to contain 24,385,000 tonnes of sand and gravel, shortfall of over 3.5 million tonnes.
One of the Acceptable sites is the area of Marlingford, on land just to the north of the Bawburgh Road. It is huge covering an area of 20.6 hectares with an estimated reserve 735,000 tonnes. The proposals are for Sand and Gravel extraction, Sand and Gravel processing plant and a concrete batching plant.
It has been reported that there will be lorry movements to and from the site every 6 minutes, 7 days a week 52 weeks a year.
Notwithstanding the enormous impact on the natural habitat of the area, the continuous noise from industrial plant and high increase volume of heavy traffic through our beautiful surroundings is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.
Please make your comments and help support the STOP Marlingford Quarry Action Group.
The first meeting will be held on Thursday night (12th) at 7.30pm in the Village Hall. Please try to attend.
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The proposed site is set in and surrounded by agricultural land.The surrounding roads are small country lanes with high hedges.It goes without saying that a new and vast road system would have to be an integral part of this project.This would then affect Easton, a neighbouring village, as the proposed route for HGVs passes over agricultural land near the village boundary.Presumably this road system would be a permenant feature allowing future applications for other projects.
ReplyDeleteNot only is this proposed gravel extraction and land fill totally unacceptable in its own right, it is the thin end of a very large and potentially damaging wedge.
How can the sand and gravel extraction proposed site for Marlingford make it onto the acceptable sites list?
ReplyDeleteIf the site were given the go ahead it would devastate the quaint and quiet countryside village of Marlingford. The proposed site will bring with it a huge amount of noise, light and air pollution which will have a dramatic effect on the quality of life for the residents of Marlingford and Easton. The local environment will suffer untold damage as a result of the site with the eco system of the River Yare most risk.
This site must not be allowed to make it onto a further short list. Please take action now!
Marlingford is a quiet, beautiful and unspoilt village. Don't let greed ruin that.
ReplyDeleteThere are so few places like Marlingford left. We need to maintain the quality of life that Marlingford has, not turn it into just another spoilt village. PLEASE think before doing this. Once it is done there will be no going back. Our beautiful village, the surrounding countyside and the wildlife will never recover.
Will the proposers of this ill-judged and damaging scheme attend a meeting so as to explain their ideas to the community?
ReplyDeleteWho will benefit from the plan?
The residents of Marlingford and Easton would pay a heavy price, if this project were to proceed.
Living in Marlingford, one of Norfolk's most beautiful & unspoilt villages I find the possibility of a gravel pit, on the edge of the village, would be totally abhorrent.
ReplyDeleteThe local environment will suffer untold damage because of visual & sound pollution as well as the traffic problems ensue
This proposal is one of extreme ineptitude. Whilst it would appear that a sand and gravel extraction site must be found somewhere to support housing development, it seems rediculous to place it on Marlingford's doorstep, as opposed to somewhere more remote.
ReplyDeleteFor example, has the Government considered the implications for road safety? Richard Bacon MP for Norfolk South clearly thought it an issue when he presented to the House in 2004: "In a rural constituency such as mine, which has 122 parishes and where half the population lives in a village of well below 1,000 people, casualties and accidents on rural roads remain a hugely significant issue." Little, I suspect, has changed to allay these fears. Coupled with the increased levels of traffic, more complex road layouts and heavily laden vehicles, the effects are likely to be magnified.
The environmental issue is just as important. Whilst carbon emissions would increase regardless, it is madness to impose this and other vehicle/plant pollution problems on an area which is surrounded by wetland and is of extreme ecological importance.
Lest we forget the people who actually live in the area, what of noise and dust levels? We enjoy a good quality of air due to the rural siting of the village, but for how long?
With increased traffic levels, vehicle pollution and environmental degredation through noise and dust, property values are likely to plummet in what is otherwise an affluent area. A punishment voters are unlikely to welcome!
I can only assume the County Council is aware of the drainage issues Marlingford faces every year? We write enough bloody letters. How is this major project, through low-lying land, likely to improve matters? Not much at a guess.
To push forward with a major project such as this, next to two tiny rural communities, is utter folly. It could so easily be incorporated in more remote areas where the environmental and sociological impacts would be far less. I hear there's a lot of set aside land going begging at the moment?
The proposed development is directly adjacent to a site designated as environmentally sensitive, ie the river valley and flood plain. The designated quarry site is situated on higher land just a few meters away and will therefore dominate the surrounding landscape. The detrimental noise, and visual impact upon this area of rural beauty is of huge significance. The impact upon the amenity value to all homeowners in the quiet village of Marlingford with its conservation area and listed buildings is enormous. The planners need to visit, to realise the great harm they would be doing if they even consider allowing this development.
ReplyDeleteCan we have the names and addresses of those responsible for this stupid idea, so that we:
ReplyDeletea) know who hopes to inflict this misery on everyone
b) can make personal representations, so that they are in no doubt about
the strength of feeling in the area.
How sad that such a well maintained and wildlife friendly estate as the Lombe estate would allow the sacrifice of some of it's land to such a proposterous industrial operation. I assume it is hoped that the wildlife that has been encouraged into the Yare valley by sympathetic farm management will "put up with it" in the same way as the residents of our peaceful, rural village are expected to.
ReplyDeleteAn absolutely shocking proposal which makes me question what perameters the council can be using if this can in any way be declared "acceptable"
i can't imagine that the people who make these proposals have ever been to marlingford, perhaps these people should before approving something by just looking at a road map of norfolk! Perhaps these folks would care to tell us their reasons for putting marlingford on the 'acceptable' list! though unfortunately i doubt they will. faceless goverment!!!
ReplyDeleteWe are relative newcomers to the village (6 years) but in that time have grown to love the peace and quiet that Marlingford has to offer. We have also been appreciative of the wonderful walks permitted through the Lombe estate and have grown to love the area and all it has to offer.
ReplyDeleteWe have recently had our first child and have always thought what a lovely, safe environment we will be able to bring her up in.....And then this!
This could amount to nothing less than desecration of the area. I would urge anyone who has a love of the countryside, and particularly Marlingford and its environs, to offer their unreserved support for the action group to fight this monstrous proposal.
I dont live in the village but i visit it a lot and sometimes even get roped into a cricket game or two. The village is an excellent quiet comunity with real spirit, the idea of a quary and heavy goods vehicles traveling through the village seems insane to me. Go find somewhere else please. Norfolk is large and flat, you wont have to look for too long!
ReplyDeleteNo one only the few that experience the beauty of this lovely river valley can understand how we and others feel about this obnocious proposed project.Our garden for instance has wildlife in abundance, probably not many people in the village know how much, the kingfisher being the most lovelies thing to watch from our window, I could list everything but it would take far too long,but having said that, our cottage is old, it is claylump in part, we have underground water, we are on a clay seam, and it has shown signs of cracking with the heavy tractors and vehicles which pass down this road. This project is 18mtrs elevated up from us and only 100mtrs away at the nearest point, how can we withstand the vibrations and water levels which will inevitable occur.We have been lucky enough to take a walk round Jane and Ann Knights wood which can be seen from the residents of Bawburgh road, it has foxes, a badger set Bluebells in apundance in the spring, and we saw four roe deer, we could loose all this, to say nothing of the pollution and dust we will get from the infill, we have this for 10 years, what happens to our property prices if we want to sell?
ReplyDeleteAll this will be destroyed, we have to fight, we cannot give up.
Now, enough of this nimbyism.
ReplyDeleteYes, there might be a good deal noise and dust but nothing that stout ear-defenders and garden sprinklers cannot rectify.
And all those heavy lorries droning through Marlingford - you will not be able to speed any more!
Best of all, when you order those stones for your drive, they will be delivered in an instant.
So much to look forward to...
Already wealthy men wish to make yet more money by ruining our villages,countryside and quality of life. Our MP, Mr Richard Bacon, and our County Councillors should perhaps be apprised of the possibility of losing votes if they do not clearly and unequivocally help us stop this monstrous plan.
ReplyDeleteSuch a shame that this land owner should be proposing such vandalism. Local people thought we would be safe and that the countyside would be protected under his stewardship.
ReplyDeleteHow wrong we were.
So what to do when a fellow retires?
ReplyDeleteat home, all cosy with slippers and fires
But that might be hard without the funding
how about a quarry? - we'll hide it with bunding
The locals won't mind, it's only ten years
What else can be done to ease all their fears?
dress it up as "required for development"
that way, no room for nimbyist sentiment
The Yare river valley, so peaceful and green
There can't be a problem, the pit won't be seen
don't mind the lapwings and otters and geese
they all will return in ten years when there's peace
There's no better place than marling-ford
it's been termed "acceptable", that must strike a chord
So stop all the moaning and get on with it
just think of all that cheap gravel and grit
But hold on a second, what a terrible thought
if route one is blocked, another'll be sought
let's check all the options, don't want a call
that the lorries are going to drive by the hall!
This project will accelerate the urban spread of Norwich further into our countryside with massive impact on frail infrastructure, important water tables in a flood plain, and the destruction of village amenity. I am not a resident of Marlingford but a neighbouring village, recently threatened with a massive power sub-station to serve the off-shore wind energy production. We might as well move to Manchester
ReplyDeleteI really hope that some sensible people at County Hall will see what damage this will do to the countryside.
ReplyDeleteThe Lombe Estate Trust comment;
"Afteruse of the site will be to arable land with wide field margins, mixed species hedgerows and blocks of lowland mixed deciduous woodland"
.........what a joke!
i have an idea how about you don't even start and leave the countryside as it is instead of destorying the landscape with your 20 hectares of landfill and gravel pits!
by the time you have finished this project the wildlife you hope to inhabbit your mixed hedges rows would have either been killed off or disappeared.
Job Vacancy at Lombe Estate Trust
ReplyDeleteIf you don't care about the residents of Marlingford quality of life
or
don't mind destorying the countryside for greed and
like digging big holes
we have just the job. call us now!
As an ex resident of Marlingford, I am shocked with this proposal. It would destroy the small, quaint lovely village as well surrounding villages.
ReplyDeleteKathryn
This proposal is shocking and unbelievable. The site is at the top of a hill overlooking both Marlingford & Easton. How can this heavy industrial activity be disguised in such a position? There is already regular flooding on the Bawburgh Road, and this land disturbance will only exacerbate the situation. Not only will the Bawburgh Road be blighted but also the new housing estate in Easton where residents will look up to the site.
ReplyDeleteThis is a shocking proposal which must not be allowed to become reality. We moved to Marlingford in 1990. One of the main reasons we choose this fine village was because of its locality, and its peaceful position in the countryside.
ReplyDeleteSadly there are folk amongst us, and I refer to someone at the Lombe Estate, who appears not to care about the potential damage this ridiculous idea could cause to this fine village, and its surrounding area.
NCC,SNDC, the planners, and those who prefer to line their pockets with ££££ need to get real....
Stop this monstrous plan NOW before its too late!!!
This isn't my back yard, That's Leics,but as a regular visitor to Marlingford I can see what a monstrously inappropriate proposal this is. It is an indictment of the management of Lombe Estate that they put their self-serving greed before responsible stewardship of the land they manage and proper consideration for the local community. They could stop this nonsense at once. What is the root cause? The UK government's East of England Plan that requires Norfolk to build at least 78,000 homes by 2021. Why does Norfolk need all these houses? Isn't this inappropriate development too?
ReplyDeleteJust seen on local news about the proposed quarry. Whatever are we going to get next? Proposed quarry, the proposed Food Hub at easton/colton, 150 room hotel on Norfolk Showground. Huge amount of noise, disruption and traffic through small villages and beautiful countryside. I have lived in Easton all my life (33 years) and understand that at some point we are going to have to accept development of some degree, but this is just far too much. will be detrimental to Marlingford, Easton, Colton etc.etc. and the great villages we live in
ReplyDeleteAs frequent visitors to Marlingford, which we love, the proposed site is far too near a substantial amount of housing. Adrian Gunson's comment that special care was taken to filter out such sites, does not appear to hold water-only gravel.
ReplyDeleteSuch a large industrial site with all the encompassing problems of noise and light pollution, should be situated away from beautiful, quiet country locations. I am certain there must be other, perhaps brownfield, sites available. Is this yet another case of let's do the cheapest whilst our countryside is destroyed?
ReplyDeleteI am now a resident of Florida but can well remember how my childhood home of Shepperton, Middx was visually destroyed by the gravel pits. The lorrys continually thundered through the village and the roads were always covered in sand and mud which they dropped. At least 2 school friends lost their lives when they went to 'play' on the pit equipment.
ReplyDeleteI was appalled at these proposals, which were sent to me by friends who live in Marlingford. I have visited them many times and recall the tranquil beauty of the area. Not for much longer if the gravel barons have their way!
I can not understand why? Yes you can say its all about money... But this land has belonged to a family that has lived in this village for generation. They are part of the history of this area. No-one/thing in our village will benefit... except for them. How completely selfish and barbaric is that.
ReplyDeleteBalzac wrote "At the back of every great fortune lies a great crime". The crime the biggest fortune in Marlingford contemplates committing is an ugly and self interested emasculation of the land. Land they by chance inherited. The bond between landowner and village is about to be shattered.
ReplyDeleteAs a resident of Marlingford it has been all too obvious that the "Big House" on the edge of the village has long since lost interest in local issues and people. The church gradually decays in sight of their front door, Christmas Services take place without any participation. Indeed the only event able to entice "Heavens Loom" out of his fortifications is some gentle village cricket. My feeling is that his sporting future is in doubt unless jousting with the locals takes his fancy?
There once was a judge of an age,
ReplyDeletein retirement, without a state wage,
so a quarry he digs,
where they used to keep pigs,
and leaves a whole village in rage.
firstly i am also against the quarry,but would like to know what "one of those" is,this was said to a resident in the village because they did not have a sign outside there house,this could have an adverse effect when gaining support
ReplyDeletejust because some residents decline from erecting signs,dose not mean there not protesting in other ways,perhaps this person walking around the village with her dog would let us protest how we want to?
WELL DONE Marlingford!We are living down under and we can hear you protesting!!We are behind you one Zillion percent. Marlingford is not the right place for this Quarry.
ReplyDeleteWe are very proud of the village and the folks in it!! We will be lending our support from afar!!!!
We moved to Marlingford 8 years ago and love the village for all that it offers us. The villagers are wonderful and all the various committees work together to ensure we have a community we are proud of. Please do not allow these Quarry plans to go ahead and ruin our village. Think again Mr Prospector and ensure Marlingford is not changed and we do not have to wait 20 plus years for it to be put back together because we all know this will not happen........Nothing will be the same for everyone in Marlingford if the Quarry goes ahead.
ReplyDeleteMy family have had the good fortune to have spent a great deal of time in Marlingford over the years, and are appalled that anyone who knows this beautiful and tranquil English village could contemplate destroying it for purely commercial gain. At a time when so much of our history and heritage is being swept away, there can be no justification for this commercial vandalism. May Nelson's spirit fight on.
ReplyDelete