Ennstone gains Spinney green light

Northamptonshire County Council's development control committee has given the go-ahead for Ennstone to excavate just under 1.1million tonnes of sand and gravel from its proposed site near Earls Barton.

With an application area of 82ha and an extraction area of 42ha, the Spinney quarry permission seeks to pull 150,000-200,000tonnes out of the ground annually over 6.5years.

Upon closure, some of the site would be restored back to farmland with the rest being turned into wetland and reed beds. Very little infill material will be needed for the functional floodplain area of the site unlike a nearby Hanson application, which has hit major complications. Northamptonshire council development control officer Phil Watson told MQR the committee said the site could go-ahead with just few minor tweaks.

“These are that hedgerows are not be moved while birds are nesting," he says, "which is a sensible precaution, and that if they come across any animal remains while excavating they have to down-tools and call the authorities.

“This is because there are stories of anthrax infected cattle being buried here in the past, although this has never been proven,” he said.