Protesters say Kingsteignton quarry project ‘not a done deal’

Campaigners fighting plans for a new quarry at Kingsteignton say bulldozing trees across an area the size of 60 football pitches is not a foregone conclusion.

Mining company Sibelco holds the mineral rights as well as a range of planning permissions – some dating back more than 50 years –  to work the land at Zitherixon Quarry.
The multi-national company produces kaolin and silica from ball clay quarries around Kingsteignton for products including ceramics and tiles, and is a major employer in the area.
It is currently preparing a scheme for Zitherixon – also known as Rackerhayes – and intends to submit a planning application later this year.
The area includes woodland, lakes and sports pitches used by Newton Abbot Rugby Club.
Objectors say local households face 50 years of harmful silica dust, noise and lorry traffic as a result of the proposals, and taking down hundreds of trees would remove natural flood barriers and leave the area at risk.
Campaign co-ordinator Holland Risley said: “Our message is simple – 1960s mineral rights cannot override today’s planning law.
“Historic mineral rights or old permissions do not provide a free pass today.”
Protesters have met with Newton Abbot’s Liberal Democrat MP Martin Wrigley to air their concerns and ask for his support.
In an open letter written after the meeting Mr Wrigley said: “It is clear just how deeply people care about the environmental and social impact this proposal could have on our town.
“I also understand the serious worries around noise, vibration, dust, and disruption that could affect nearby homes, schools, and daily life in Kingsteignton.”
He said any permissions given to the company for development must protect the community and the environment, and local homes and schools must be shielded from excessive noise, dust, or disruption.
Mr Wrigley said the rules of parliament would stop him from intervening directly in a local planning decision, but he would raise the issue in the Commons if he could.
Mr Risley said historic permissions must be reviewed before any work could be restarted, and he asked Mr Wrigley to press for the full ‘biodiversity net gain’ to be delivered, meaning the development must leave the environment better than it was before.
There should be ‘like-for-like’ habitat creation, said Mr Risley, with long-term management and community benefits including new woodland and hedgerow planting near homes and schools.
Protesters also want improvements to wildlife habitats, and have pledged to apply for tree preservation orders on parts of the site.
Sibelco has been invited to comment.