Angus quarries win 30-year extension

25 January, 2012 - 11:08
Angus quarries
Click to enlarge.

Quarries at Ethiebeaton and Ardownie to be extended and merged to create a single unit

ANGUS Council’s planning authority has agreed to extend the life of two of Scotland’s most strategically important quarries, based at Monifieth, in a move that will secure local jobs for the next three decades.

Breedon Aggregates and The Geddes Group submitted a joint proposal to extend their quarries at Ethiebeaton and Ardownie, which will see the two sites merging to create a single unit.

The extension means the companies can continue to produce crushed rock, asphalt, recycled aggregates and ready-mixed concrete for the next 30 years, based on current rates of production.

Between them, the two sites currently support over 50 local jobs, but also generate significant indirect employment.

Both quarries supply construction materials to projects in Dundee city and south Angus, and although the new planning consent will see the two quarries eventually merging, both companies will continue to operate as separate entities, utilizing their existing site infrastructures.

Alan MacKenzie, chief executive of Breedon Aggregates Scotland, commented: ‘Angus Council has recognized that the quarries at Ethiebeaton and Ardownie are key strategic assets to the area. Scotland’s aim is to maintain a 10-year landbank for construction aggregates, of which an identified shortfall in the Angus and Dundee area has now been alleviated by this planning permission.’

The two sites jointly produce around 500,000 tonnes of crushed rock per annum, giving the quarries the capacity to produce an estimated 15.9 million tonnes over their 30-year lifetime. A further year will be required to completely restore the combined site once quarrying is complete.

Restoration will focus on providing a range of natural wildlife habitats that will offer increased biodiversity to the area, and potentially increased access to recreational facilities. Plans include woodland planting and the creation of two bodies of water.