Limestone quarrying in Peak District
Campaigners, including the Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA) and the Ramblers’ Association, say that the quarrying company is exploiting a legal loophole in order to commercially extract limestone from Longstone Edge – a classic example of limestone habitat.
Under permission granted in 1952, the operator can only extract limestone as a by-product of extracting fluorspar and bayerites, which are both vein minerals found within limestone and used industrially and ornamentally. Between July 2003 and December 2005, 573,963 tonnes of limestone were sold from the quarrying. Only 11,500 tonnes of fluorspar were extracted.
A public inquiry in 2007 backed a stop notice issued by the PDNPA, but a High Court judge upheld an appeal by landowner Bleaklow Industries in April. The national park, along with the Department for Communities and Local Government, has requested leave to appeal.
‘The damage is irreversible, but existing legal powers can’t remedy the situation,’ said a spokeswoman for the PDNPA. ‘A lot of limestone has to be extracted to gain access to the fluorspar and bayerites, and we would like to see this remain in the national park to help restore the damage.’
Rob Harpley, managing director of Bleaklow Industries, said that ‘serious environmental damage’ had been caused by the PDNPA’s reluctance to seek a judge’s ruling, adding that ‘the national park is imposing a moral position on a legal position’.
Mark Rowe
August 2008
Under permission granted in 1952, the operator can only extract limestone as a by-product of extracting fluorspar and bayerites, which are both vein minerals found within limestone and used industrially and ornamentally. Between July 2003 and December 2005, 573,963 tonnes of limestone were sold from the quarrying. Only 11,500 tonnes of fluorspar were extracted.
A public inquiry in 2007 backed a stop notice issued by the PDNPA, but a High Court judge upheld an appeal by landowner Bleaklow Industries in April. The national park, along with the Department for Communities and Local Government, has requested leave to appeal.
‘The damage is irreversible, but existing legal powers can’t remedy the situation,’ said a spokeswoman for the PDNPA. ‘A lot of limestone has to be extracted to gain access to the fluorspar and bayerites, and we would like to see this remain in the national park to help restore the damage.’
Rob Harpley, managing director of Bleaklow Industries, said that ‘serious environmental damage’ had been caused by the PDNPA’s reluctance to seek a judge’s ruling, adding that ‘the national park is imposing a moral position on a legal position’.
Mark Rowe
August 2008
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