east quarry appley bridge

It is the intention of Maybrook Group to start the draining works as soon as possible. It is however essential that all the appropriate licences and permissions are in place before works can start.

While Maybrook have been granted an abstraction licence by the Environmental Agency to start draining the water they await planning permission for the construction of a necessary emergency ramp.

Maybrook Group have submitted the required planning application to Lancashire County Council.

It is understood that the planning application will be advertised 29th June 2021 ahead of their next meeting 21st Jul7 2021.

In the event that there are no objections or opposition at this stage the process could take just 3 weeks from that meeting.

As soon as the ramp is complete, Maybrook will be in a position to start the draining works.

Once the pumping commences it will continue for a period of 12 weeks.

The only thing that will prevent the quarry de-watering starting this year would be an objection to the planning application for the emergency access ramp, Maybrook urge local councillors to consider the implication of such an objection.

The quarry has become a local hazard and a blight on local residents and businesses due to the ongoing anti-social behaviour related issues, the overwhelming desire of the local community is to eliminate these issues by removing the water.

The site is patrolled daily by Maybrook and the visited frequently by West Lancashire and Greater Manchester Police. they have had mobile units stationed at the quarry, they have had drones on the site, they have also used powers under dispersal orders to prevent large gatherings.

The gates had been unlocked for a period following the removal of the locks by local police, their own health and safety procedures require that they could access the site and provide a safe exit route for the trespassers.

The Police were due to replace the locks that they had burned off however Maybrook have provided new locks and given keys to both the local police and the contractor that the police used to remove the original locks.

Trespass is, in most cases a civil rather than criminal offence, apart from using dispersal orders the police can only observe and intervene in the event of criminal activity. Maybrook have been advised that there is little they can do in terms of prosecutions.

Maybrook are focusing their efforts on accelerating the process to remove the risk. In the meantime, they have increased the visibility of the signage, patrol site daily, make repairs to the perimeter fence daily and continue to work with the local police.

The Police urge local residents and businesses to report all criminal offences such as; racial abuse, theft, criminal damage, drug use, anti-social behaviour.

The more often the police receive reports the greater resource they can allocate to the area.

The pumps have been active on 2 occasions; firstly, when Maybrook installed and commissioned and secondly when the site was broken into; the pipes were blocked and the pumps turned on in what appeared to be an attempt to damage the equipment.

The site office was broken into, bars removed from the windows and the pumps were turned on, in an attempt to maximise the damage, the internal door was screwed shut from the inside.

The police attended the scene, Maybrook did not make an insurance claim therefore no crime reference number was sort at the time.

Permission has not yet been granted to fill the quarry. As soon as the draining starts Maybrook will apply for the required permissions to fill the quarry.

Time will vary depending on method of bringing the materials to site and will be weighed against the impact on local area, further consultation will take place on this matter.

The impact that the restoration works will have on the local highways is of paramount importance in the planning process. Maybrook Group will provide traffic calming and safety measures as required.

The dust emissions and noise will all be regulated under the permit conditions. Levels of noise and disruption would be minimal, and any dust would be controlled by damping during the works.

The material used to fill the quarry will be inert and conform to Landfill Directive 1993/33/EC

“Inert Waste” means waste that does not undergo any significant physical, chemical or biological transformations.

Inert Waste will not dissolve, burn or otherwise physically or chemically react, biodegrade or adversely affect other matter with which it comes into contact in a way likely to give rise to environmental pollution or harm human health. Examples of inert waste include: concrete, bricks, soil and stones.

Maybrook presented the Plan for both East & West Quarry to the Parish Council in 2019. The plans remain the same, they are subject to local support and planning consent.

The drawing below shows the plans which include:

• Community Centre
• Car park
• Local shops
• Green public spaces
• Residential development
• Agricultural land (West Quarry)
• Allotments
• Relocating the industrial units

See drawing below…