Extension proposals

Limestone is essential for use in building materials to construct and maintain our homes, hospitals, schools, and roads, as well as the infrastructure needed for a low carbon future. 

The UK uses around 250 million tonnes of aggregate a year. For example, building an average house needs 200 tonnes of aggregate and 12 tonnes of mortar. A floating offshore wind turbine uses 15,000 tonnes of concrete and, the Lower Thames Crossing has used 8.8 million tonnes of aggregates, concrete and asphalt.  

The Mineral Products Association (MPA) has calculated that we each use the equivalent of 4 tonnes for every man, woman and child, every year. 

Limestone deposits at Tytherington quarry are becoming increasingly constrained, so our proposals are about making the most sustainable use of the existing mineral within the quarry.  If approved, extracting deeper in the Woodleaze area and under the exiting soil store would help to maintain steady supplies as well as securing 37 jobs on site and many more in the supply chain.

The additional areas we have identified – going deeper in the Woodleaze section of the quarry and under the existing soil store – fall outside the area currently permitted for extraction at Tytherington quarry, even though they are both within the current site boundary. That’s why we need to seek permission from the Mineral Planning Authority (South Gloucestershire Council) to vary the existing permissions.  

It’s important to us to be transparent about our activities, keep the local community informed and seek views before submitting our application. 
 

It’s all about geology. Quarries can only exist where the reserves naturally occur.  

Extracting limestone in Tytherington goes back over 150 years and current permissions for extraction extend to 2042. Today our quarry supplies around 1.8 million tonnes of aggregate per year for use in making ready-mixed and precast concrete products, as well as asphalt for use in road construction and maintenance. 

Tytherington quarry’s rail link first opened in the 1880s and more than 60 per cent of output is now transported by rail, with the quarry suppling material to our rail depots in Oxfordshire, London and the south east of England, where there are no natural deposits of limestone. Transporting a tonne of material by rail, instead of road, cuts the associated CO₂ emissions by around two thirds, as well as helping to cut traffic by keeping lorries off the road.  

Our current proposals are all about securing steady supplies in the short term but, looking ahead, Tytherington quarry will remain strategically important, both as a source of nationally significant limestone and as one of a few rail-connected sites.  
 

Minerals play a vital role in the construction of the infrastructure needed to support the country’s switch to a low carbon economy. Plus, aggregates are also still needed to maintain existing building and infrastructure. 

We’re committed to achieving net zero across our business by 2050 and we’re making good progress. We ensure the most efficient use of resources through high levels of materials’ reuse and recycling as part of our commitment to growing the circular economy. But primary material, including limestone, is still needed to ensure building materials’ strength, integrity and durability in a wide range of applications.
 

No. Our proposals are about maintaining supplies and beyond the quarry gate residents will see little change. There will be no changes to HGV numbers and the volume of aggregates transported by rain will remain the same. For us it’s business as usual.

Extraction at Tytherington quarry would have taken place at similar depth levels in the former part of the quarry known as North Face in the early 2000’s, so in that respect, what we are proposing is nothing new.  

When it comes to blasting, the UK has very strict regulations, and modern blasting and drilling techniques are designed to minimise vibration and air over pressure. It is also in the quarry operator’s interest to reduce both ground and airborne vibration from blasting to the minimum possible, as this substantially increases the efficiency of the process.

At Tytherington quarry we already comply fully with the strict blasting protocols, and this means that there is no risk to people or property. Plus, our specialist modelling indicates that excavating at deeper levels in Woodleaze, and in the former soil store, will not impact on how blasts are experienced by our near neighbours at Tytherington.
 

Overburden and soil previously stored within the soil store will be moved elsewhere within the existing quarry boundary, and retained for use in restoration.

In the interim, some will be used to create new screening bunds along the southwestern and southeastern corners of the quarry as well as in raising the existing bund abutting the wood situated between the quarry and the M5. 
 

Our Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment highlights that our proposals will have little impact on visual amenity.  

Firstly, the topography of the area means that, as at present, views into the quarry will be limited. Secondly, our proposed mitigation measures are designed to retain and enhance the character of the local landscape with steps including the creation of additional screening bunds and the augmentation of existing bunds. These will be landscaped, as will the quarry standoff areas, to further screen our operations . 
 

The independent Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) that will accompany our planning application has looked at the water environment at Tytherington quarry in detail. 

Studies show that no significant effects are anticipated in relation to the management of the water environment as a result of our proposed extension areas. The views of the Environment Agency and the Lower Severn Internal Drainage Board will also be sought as part of the planning process. 
 

We all depend on steady supplies of vital construction materials to build and maintain the infrastructure we rely on – from fixing potholes to the new infrastructure needed to support the transition to a low carbon economy. Scarcity of supply would drive up prices and even lead to materials being imported, resulting in increased carbon emissions. 

At a more local level, we employ 37 people on site and many more in the supply chain and make significant contributions to local services through business rates and other taxes. We will also continue to support local charitable initiatives as well as providing career opportunities via our apprenticeship and trainee manger programmes. 

We take our responsibilities to be a good neighbour seriously and aim to play a positive part in the communities in which we operate. We are also committed to contributing to a nature positive world via our industry-leading biodiversity programme. This includes our pledge to allocate 15% of all our active quarries for
 

The project team valued the feedback received from local people on our proposals. Below we have detailed the issues raised with us and our response: 

Flooding

• We were asked if our proposals to extend quarrying deeper into the Woodleaze area and also under the existing soil store at Tytherington quarry would impact on local drainage. Several residents were concerned about local roads flooding in the Itchington area following heavy rain in the winter months and asked if extending the quarry could exacerbate this in future.  
  
  Our response: As part of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) that will underpin the Environmental statement accompanying our application we have carried out a water assessment. This concluded that there would be no significant adverse effects in terms of flooding and/or drainage issues.

Road and rail

• Some residents queried if extending the quarry would lead to increased road and rail movements.
  
  Our response:  As set out elsewhere in our FAQs, there will be no changes to HGV numbers and the volume of aggregates transported by rain will remain the same. Our proposals are about maintaining supplies and beyond the quarry gate residents will see little change.
   
• Concerns we raised about the need to realign Itchington road to accommodate the quarry extension.
  
  Our response: Our proposals do not include any changes to the alignment of Itchington road.