Essex minerals local plan review

I am a Kelvedon resident and I wish to strongly object to site A47 at Monks Farm, Kelvedon, becoming a “preferred site” for sand and gravel extraction for the following reasons:
1. DUST AND AIR POLLUTION: I am concerned about dust and particulate pollution. The A47 site is on top of a plateau with Kelvedon in a natural bowl to the south, Feering to the east and 30-40 homes within 250 metres of the site at the Halfway Cottages. Depending on wind direction dust and particulates will land in and on residential properties. With the A12 to the south and the IWMF waste incinerator to the west, the cumulative effect of air pollution is already worrying and this proposed quarry would make air quality even worse. With hotter summers forecast due to climate change, it is not acceptable that nearby residents should be expected to live behind closed windows when ventilation will be key to health and wellbeing as the planet heats up and British summers get hotter.
2. NOISE: Quarry noise will be noticeable in Kelvedon. Noise pollution will be a particular threat to the health and wellbeing of residential properties in the Newtown area, the Halfway House and Coggeshall Hamlet due to the proximity of the proposed quarrying activity. The A47 site is within 250 metres of 30-40 residential properties and within 400 metres of several hundred more. It is likely noise will be sufficiently disruptive to cause nearby residents to remain indoors/shut windows to reduce the nuisance and to wake them during the hours when they would normally be asleep.
3. DISTURBANCE: The disturbance during the preparation phases (creation of the earthwork mounds) will be unacceptable during a period which could extend to many months.
4. WILDLIFE: It is unacceptable that the proposal’s access route would cut through the historic Pantling’s Lane, which is an important wildlife corridor, and impact Upney Wood, an ancient woodland, 355 metres to the west. The current report is not adequate to assess the real impact on wildlife and in particular rare bat roosts and routes. There are also a number of ponds on the boundaries of the proposed site which are know to be the home of Crested Newts. Where is local wildlife meant to go?
5. PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY: Three Public Rights of Way cross the site and two more are within 100 metres. They are a valuable leisure amenity for local people – it is unacceptable that their ecology and wildlife should be sacrificed for commercial interests.
6. HISTORIC BUILDINGS AND LANDSCAPE: The rural setting of Monks Farm Cottages and Pound Farm (both Grade 2 Listed) needs to be preserved with its current characteristics. It is unacceptable to risk damage and disturbance to Heritage assets from the Medieval era. The landscape dates from Roman times and needs to be preserved.
7. LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL SENSITIVITY: The rural landscape from Coggeshall to Kelvedon along the B1024 (Coggeshall Road) would be severely damaged by A47. The sand and gravel extraction would alter the shape of the landscape permanently. The plateau and valley down into Kelvedon provide a strong sense of place and a feeling of tranquility. Quarrying here will result in damage to the network of public paths and views to and from Kelvedon and Coggeshall. Now a pleasant tranquil agricultural setting, the quarry would destroy this and transform it into an industrial, noisy, dusty and polluting landscape.
8. LANDSCAPE IMPACT - Once teeming with wildlife, the neighbouring A7 quarry at Cuthedge Lane is already a 95 hectares scar on the landscape. Any expansion to A47 will extend this scar and impact wildlife. The pleasant character of Pantling’s Lane would be significantly affected by the quarry works.
9. WELLBEING - Kelvedon is under severe development pressure from the widening of the A12, the future routing of the A120, the waste incinerator inside the parish of Kelvedon at Rivenhall Airfield, proposals to build the 5,000-homes Kings Dene new town north of Kelvedon as well as several hundred homes on new sites within the village, plus National Grid's plans to stretch a row of pylons across the parish including the A47 site itself. Post-Covid it is now clear that access to green space is important for the wellbeing of many people. The type of green space is important – established woodland and hedgerows are associated with higher wellbeing benefits. The proposals will reduce the wellbeing benefits of tranquil views of and access to green space for residents in Kelvedon. This area is regularly used by the community as open space. Loss of access for a long period will have a negative effect on the wellbeing of the community.
10. UNNECESSARY DEVELOPMENT NEAR OUR COMMUNITY - The proposed A47 quarry is not necessary in terms of sand and gravel supply. None of the above-mentioned negative effects on health, environment and heritage can be justified on the basis of need. Yes sand and gravel can only be extracted from where it is found, but this does not justify extraction wherever minerals are found. North Essex has extensive glacial sand and gravel deposits which are not located on the edge of an historic village such as Kelvedon which has a population of approximately 5,000 and 30-40 residential properties within less than 250 metres of the quarry and some as close 50 metres. The negative impact on Kelvedon residents far outweighs any market considerations for Bradwell Quarry’s sand and gravel extraction business.
I urge Essex County Council’s planning officers to give my concerns great weight in your deliberations.
Thank You