BAA condemns Peak District National Park plans

THE British Aggregates Association has responded sharply to a draft consultation document entitled ‘Help Shape the Future’, which sets out the Peak District National Park Authority’s plans for the long-term management of the National Park, including a number of measures aimed at gradually reducing the cumulative impact of mineral activity in the park by 2011.

BAA secretary Peter Huxtable said: ‘We are at a loss to understand why the park authorities are so against mineral extraction, which has been an integral part of the culture and economy of the region for many centuries. Quarrying is directly responsible for providing so many of the distinctive features of the Peak District National Park, including its buildings.’

In its formal response to the draft consultation, the BAA argues that the UK’s mineral resources are being progressively sterilized by over-zealous planners, ill-informed pressure groups, red tape and a lack of expertise. Calling for a global perspective, it dismisses local nimbyism, as demonstrated by the PDNPA, as selfish and short-sighted, and says the minerals industry not only brings local employment both directly and indirectly, but also reduces road transport, meets national strategic needs, and represents the best environmental option.

‘Our association does not normally respond directly to local consultations, however the potentially wider impact on mineral extraction in other national parks has prompted our reply,’ said Mr Huxtable. ‘This is another occasion where local authorities would appear to have tried to sneak in proposals contrary to national guidelines and which have potentially serious national implications.’