Inquiry into quarry site starts

Campaigners say quarrying is spoiling the area

The public inquiry into quarrying in the Peak District National Park began on Tuesday.

The inquiry into quarrying at Backdale on Longstone Edge, is taking place at Calver Village Hall.

Operators MMC Mineral Processing Ltd and landowners Bleaklow Industries are appealing against a stop notice placed by the park authority in May 2006.

The companies are contesting claims from protestors that they are breaking terms of historic planning permission.

In 1952 planning permission was granted by the Minister of Housing and Local Government.

This covered the "winning and working of fluorspar and barytes and for the working of lead and any other minerals which are won in the course of working those mineral by turning over old soil dumps, by opencast working and by underground mining".

Although limestone removal is not mentioned in the planning permission, fluorspar and barytes are found running through the limestone in the quarry, meaning some of it has to be removed to get at the vein.

Environmental concerns

The quarry has become the focus for environmental campaigners who see it as spoiling an area of natural beauty.

The National Park authority served an initial enforcement notice in November 2004, MMC Ltd appealed and a planning inquiry was set up to resolve the issue.

But in March 2006, the public inquiry was cancelled after Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott declared the authority's action "null and void".

Since then the authority has used temporary enforcement notices to limit the quarry's operations.

The National Park Authority wants the government to close what they call loopholes in planning laws to enable it to apply modern working conditions to all old mining permissions.

Both MMC Mineral Processing and Bleaklow Industries declined to comment.

The inquiry is expected to last 10 days.