Aldridge quarry lorry misery continues

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Aldridge quarry lorry misery continues
Adam Lumley The YamYam 26 Dec 09
Up to 200 heavy lorries a day will continue to rumble past homes in a residential area of Aldridge despite government planning permission to build a new road to divert trucks away from the houses.

Residents of Branton Hill Lane and Little Aston Road have fought a 30 year campaign to establish an alternative route for the lorries which thunder to and from an Aldridge quarry owned by Bliss Sand and Gravel Ltd. In October 2008, exasperated residents twice took to the streets to blockade the road against the trucks. Pensioners, children and parents waving placards stating “Enough is enough” were moved on by police to allow the lorries through.

Campaigners complain of dust in the summer, mud in the winter, intolerable air pollution and incessant noise and vibration which has even caused objects to be shaken from walls. The massive trucks have to negotiate tight 90 degree bends and cross a narrow bridge over a railway line leading to fears over road safety.

A planning application was submitted to Walsall Council in June 2007 that proposed a new access link between the quarry and the main A452 Chester Road. The new road would allow lorries to join the major trunk road which is about 200m east of the quarry instead of travelling about a mile along Branton Hill Lane before emerging onto Little Aston Road near Aldridge town centre.

The council initially supported the proposal but when the possible £1million cost was identified, planning chiefs began to raise objections. A report to the Development Control Committee in November 2007 stated that if the development went ahead, no fewer than 41 breeches of policy and protocols would occur. 11 council departments objected to the scheme and even Wolverhampton Council objected to the use of Green Belt land. To pay for the scheme, the site was considered as having the potential for the building of 102 “aspirational homes” designed to attract “entrepreneurs” to the borough. The number was later reduced to 24.

After the application was rejected and following more protests, the government launch a public enquiry. In March 2008, a report by Richard Watson on behalf of Hazel Blears who was at the time secretary of state for communities and local government, ruled that planning permission for the new road should be granted as it would result in “significant benefit” to residents. The report went on to state that: “In this particular case, the beneficial effects of the proposal amount to very special circumstances, and are of sufficient weight to clearly outweigh the harm to the green belt, and other harm.”

Planning permission was also granted for the building of 9 homes on Chester Road.

Since then, little has changed and lorries continue to make living on Branton Hill Lane a misery. In a survey conducted by the council in November 2006, over 200 daily lorry movements were logged during the working week. On Sunday, just 18 cars used the lane. A planned expansion of the quarry will only make matters worse.

The downturn in the housing market has been blamed for the lack of interest in the development. Steve Morgan, managing director at Bliss Sand and Gravel said: “It is due to the economic climate and the banks not lending builders any money. We want the new road built as much as the residents do.”

Councillor John Rochelle who represents Aldridge Central and South said: “What we don`t want is the extension of the quarry before the road is built. The money for the housing was going to pay for the road but obviously with the housing market in the state it is I don`t know whether the money is there.”

Express & Star 27 Mar Heavy lorries will stop near Aldridge
Walsall Council 29 May 08 Development Control Committee pdf
Walsall Council 20 Nov 07 Development Control Committee pdf
Bliss Aggregates Home

Tags: Planning, Housing