PLANS for an extension to the Torr Quarry between Frome and Shepton Mallet are to be submitted to Somerset County Council.
Aggregate Industries UK Ltd are intending to apply for planning permission for an eight-hectare extension to their existing Torr Works Quarry – about the size of 20 football pitches.
The proposed development, which is wholly located within the existing Torr Works Quarry operational boundary, would release approximately 11 million tonnes of carboniferous limestone.
“The extension area occupies an area of approximately 8ha and is located immediately to the northeast of the Torr Works main void and currently comprises a blockworks,” says the company.
“The proposed development seeks to extend the existing pit at Torr Works to the east at the site of the existing blockworks.”
A public exhibition is being held at the quarry on Friday 22nd July, 4-8pm, and Saturday 23rd July, 9am-1pm and the company says that feedback “will be taken into consideration and any necessary changes to the scheme made before a planning application is submitted to Somerset County Council.”
For more details, contact Chris Herbert: E: chris.herbert@aggregate.com; t: 07789 944 446 or at Torr Works, Shepton Mallet, BA4 4RA.
“The application documents and supporting plans will be available to view on the Somerset Council website once the application is submitted and validated,” added the company.
Torr Works is located in the triangle formed by Shepton Mallet, Radstock and Frome, in an area of the Mendips that has long been associated with aggregate production, and with a number of current and former quarries nearby.
It is the largest single quarry in the Mendips, and one of the largest in the UK and currently employs 93 people directly and has over 50 contractors working on site.
Torr Works has a dedicated rail link, and a permission which commits it to restricting the use of road haulage for removing aggregate from the quarry, this will not change.
“It is proposed that extraction in the extension area would commence following the cessation of extraction at the Leighton area of the Torr Works,” added the company. “Annual output levels would remain at similar levels to Leighton of between 1 to 1.5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa).
“The extension area would be worked within the permitted date for cessation of works at Torr Works (2040).
“It is proposed to work the extension area using the same methods to those already employed at the quarry. This involves blasting and removal of the rock by dumper truck to the primary crusher. Once crushed, it is transported to the processing plant for further crushing, washing and grading.
“The extension area will be extracted in a series of benches down to a depth of 100m AOD, each bench reducing in area as the quarry deepens.
“In order to assess the impacts of the proposed development, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been undertaken.”
This covers traffic, ecology, air quality and dust, noise and water quality. A bridleway will be diverted as part of the scheme.
“Once extraction and dewatering ceases at Torr Works, the proposed extension area will simply increase the area of open water within the void.
“While the much of the extension area will eventually be submerged under water once dewatering ceases, the upper benches will remain visible. A combination of restoration blasting, mechanical ripping/ scarifying and tipping is used to create an environment where tree planting and hydroseeding of the benches/faces can be undertaken or natural regeneration left to occur.”
