Weary sigh over quarry saga

By Louise Batchelor
BBC Scotland environment correspondent

The quarry application dates back to the 1960s

The multi-national company bidding to create a massive superquarry in the Western Isles has begun a court appeal against the rejection of its plans.

Here, BBC Scotland's environment correspondent Louise Batchelor comments on the long-running saga.

At Edinburgh's Court of Session there was not even room on the press bench.

Not on account of the intense media interest in the latest superquarry appeal, but because there were so many boxes of documents being presented.

There were not many journalists about.

This story, which started so promisingly more than 10 years ago, is now bogged down in planning law.

I had some telephone calls from newcomers to the tale, my colleagues in London.

They asked: "So this multinational wants to take away a mountain? What do the islanders make of it?"

Interest had waned by the time I had explained that the saga had been going on for years and that the latest appeal by Lafarge Aggregates was not even about the more recent superquarry plan. We were now back in the 1960s.

As the quarry scheme has taken so long to settle many no longer expect it to happen and they are busy encouraging visitors.

In the court, Scotland's senior judge, the Lord President Lord Cullen, (sitting with Lord Marnoch and Lord Weir) looked bemused as he listened to the opening statements.

This was going to be a long haul.

The usual knot of environmentalists was there. Some had sat through the 1994-95 public inquiry - the longest in Scotland's history.

Familiar faces, too, on the company side. It could have been quite a jolly reunion, if the issue had not been so bitterly contested.

And all this taking place more than 200 miles from the rugged tip of South Harris, which is what all the fuss is all about.

The island has two faces. There is the dark brown peaty one, shrouded in mist. And the light, bright one of white rocks and sandy beaches. On a good day you could be in the Med.

'No longer relevant'

Roineabhal is a mountain formed from the pale rock, anorthosite, very hard and ideal for building material - the aggregate which goes into roads.

I have climbed to the top and there is a fantastic view across the Sound of Harris. Quite often the peak is covered in low cloud.

The issue for islanders is whether to follow quarry jobs or develop tourism.

Environmental groups are worried about damage to the island

Opinion has swung to and fro. But as the quarry scheme has taken so long to settle many no longer expect it to happen and they are busy encouraging visitors.

Western Isles Council tell me there has been close to a 20% increase over the past four years.

However, that is no longer relevant to the question of the quarry.

Its fate will be decided principally by lawyers, trying to figure out now whether a 40-year-old planning permission is still valid and, if so, what bearing that has on the 10-year-old superquarry application, now back with the Scottish Executive for a re-determination.

For reasons buried in the documents, Lafarge could not simply go ahead with their scheme even if they do win this appeal.

No wonder that when you ask islanders how they feel about the latest twist to the story the commonest response is a weary sigh.