Surrey  Minerals  Plan

November 2009

Surrey County Council are considering an  application from Hanson Quarry Products  to extract gravel at Milton Park Farm in Egham.   This is due to be decided on 16 December.    

Egham Chamber of Commerce is concerned about possible adverse effects on traffic congestion,  access,   pollution of air and  ground-water,  drainage and flooding,  green belt protection and noise pollution among other things,  of allowing gravel extraction in an area so close to the the town and with existing access problems. 

Surrey County Council have a target set by Central Government for how much gravel must be sourced locally,  and in June of this year the targets were revised downwards by nearly 50%,   from 2.6 million tonnes / year  to 1.32m tonnes / year.      

Surrey is therefore consulting on their new  MINERALS PLAN,  for the best way to meet the new requirements.  That consultation exercise  ends on 18 December.  Notwithstanding this,  Surrey CC are  proposing to decide the Hanson application based on the old guidelines and old plan.

Runnymede Borough Council, the Chamber of Commerce and the local Residents' Associations have objected to the application,  but the matter will be decided by the County Council.

The Chamber is concerned that whatever the outcome of the Hanson application, the  Draft Minerals Plan, which will form part of the Council's Core Strategy, puts a too large burden on the Egham area.  

Full details of the Consultation exercise are to be found on the Council's website,  but the documents most relevant to Egham are the  Primary Aggregates DPD  and  the appendices relating to  Milton Park  and  Whitehall  Farm

Those wishing to make comment can do so on-line, by  letter,  or by email.   Written and e-mailed comments  should follow the format specified for on-line comments.  
 

You must  read the Accompanying Notes  before trying to make comments.  The crucial parts are pages  2 and 3,    do you consider that the DPD  (Development Plan Document)   is  "sound",   i.e.  is it  justified,  is it  effective, and is it consistent with national policy.  

Meanwhile the official deadline for objection to the Hanson Planning Application has passed, but if you are concerned about  250 heavy lorries per day accessing the site for the next 15 years, and a concrete works behind Manorcroft school,  you may wish to write anyway, 
 

Or Comment Online 

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You may also wish to contact the members of the Planning Committee  


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Prof Moreton Moore,  Egham's  Independent Councillor on Runnymede Borough Council,  has been kind enough to give us a copy of  his
draft submission on the Mineral Plan.   Cllr.  Moore is spearheading the campaign to make Surrey County Council aware of the damage  that gravel raising will cause in Egham.  Please contact him   if you would like to help the campaign.