Public Inquiry Scheduled for Hamble Airfield Quarry Appeal

A public inquiry will review proposals for a quarry situated close to a village in Hampshire. The extraction firm Cemex is appealing a decision by Hampshire County Council, which had previously denied its proposals to extract sand and gravel from Hamble Airfield, located in Hamble-le-Rice. The application, which was rejected in May due to worries about lorry traffic, air pollution, and potential flooding, had drawn objections from over 5,700 individuals. According to The Planning Inspectorate, an appeal process has commenced, with a two-day hearing scheduled for 1 April. County councillors had unanimously voted against the application, which sought to extract 250,000 tons of sand and gravel annually for a period of seven years from the site of the former World War Two airfield. The councillors stated that lorry traffic would create an “unacceptable” impact on local roads, and Cemex had failed to prove that air pollution would not harm protected habitats and species. Furthermore, the committee indicated that the quarry operation would lead to unacceptable flooding consequences. Cemex had previously asserted that it was “confident the site can be operated without any significant adverse effects”. The county council, scheduled to conduct elections on 1 May, is seeking guidance on whether the inquiry’s timing will influence its proceedings, given that it occurs during the pre-election period when certain activities are restricted. Lisa Kirby-Hawkes, Head of development management, commented: “As a planning authority, we don’t have any control about when the inquiry sits, we just have been told this is when it is happening.” A conclusive decision regarding the appeal is anticipated by the end of May.