Campaigners to fight on after council backs quarry plan

Campaigners have vowed to continue to fight on against plans for an ancient woodland in Kent to be used for quarrying after a council backed the proposals.

Members of The Friends of Oaken Wood said they were dismayed after Kent County Councillors voted for plans for extraction at the 120 acre site be put forward for government approval.

Trustee Julie Read said: "We talk about the deforestation of the Amazon, but we should be worried about the loss of woodland in this country. Once it's gone, it's gone forever."

However Sean Connor, managing director for the landowners, Gallagher Aggregates Ltd, said: "We're not going to be quarrying the whole area in one go.

"It will be over a progressive period of time," he said.

Gallagher's plan to preserve the area's unique ecology by removing topsoil from the wood prior to quarrying and keeping it in safe storage before returning it to the site once extraction is complete.

Connor said Gallagher's were expanding their existing quarry site at Hermitage Lane into Oaken Wood to meet demand for ragstone.

Speaking from the site, in Barming, near Maidstone, Connor said that public access will remain, and the woodland will be restored once minerals have been extracted.

"We have already restored the land we have previously quarried on site, often filling in the gaps up to 35 metres depth," he said.

"We then plant semi mature broadleaf native trees and allow nature to take effect. Already, there is woodland where we'd quarried 10 years before."

The Friends of Oaken Wood are concerned about the effect quarrying will have on the local ecosystem.

Chris Couch, who lives nearby, said: "I've walked in these woods for 50 years. It's home for nightjars, dormice and deer - they'll have nowhere to go if the quarry goes ahead."

Lauren Sykes said: "I really don't think Gallagher's will be able to restore the woodland in 50 years once quarrying is finished by taking away all the topsoil. Have you ever tried to move a plant in your garden? It won't work."

The area is popular with dogwalkers, horseriders and hikers.

Julie Brown, from Barning, walks her dogs every day in the wood.

She said: "We're always hearing about climate change, so to destroy this huge area of ancient woodland makes no sense at all. They should quarry elsewhere."

Connor said that although there were other sites with ragstone nearby that do not have woodland on them, they do not have sufficient "mineral depth" to make them viable options for quarrying.

KCC have said the plans would be subject to "strict national and local planning policies that provide strong protection for ancient woodland".

The council also said its priority was "to balance the county's long-term need for construction materials with the protection of the environment and local communities, in accordance with planning policy and legislation".

The matter is now before government inspectors for examination.

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