Parish Council Joins Fight Against Wootton Gravel Plans

A parish council has joined the fight against the extraction of 900,000 tonnes of sand and gravel in Wootton.

Wight Building Materials (WBM) is hoping to use one of the Island’s last significant resources of sand and gravel at Palmers Farm, in Wootton, as a source of building materials.

At a packed meeting of more than 100 concerned residents last night (Tuesday), Wootton Bridge Parish Council (WBPC) however, voted unanimously to object to plans which would see a pit opened and operated for ten years.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Daryll Pitcher, Isle of Wight Councillor for Wootton Bridge, said it was a completely unacceptable application with no safe access route, a too-high impact on the environment and going against the Island’s UNESCO Biosphere status.

The impact on King’s Quay was highlighted by many with any potential water run-off bringing nitrates to the sensitive, protected area.

During the meeting, Cllr Barry Abrahams said he had a lot of concerns over how this would be done safely and the overall environmental impact.

He questioned if this ten-year solution was how we wanted to treat the Island and not have a more sustainable solution for the future.

He said better plans needed to be found.

Cllr Pitcher raised findings from the archaeological report which found there was a high or medium chance of finding building structures and remains from 5,500 years ago at the site.

He said:

“This application would destroy our community, land, history and environment.”

If the application had to be approved, Cllr Pitcher proposed a number of restrictive conditions which would make the application as difficult as possible, including cleaning the roads, a limit on vehicle movements, time restrictions and ensuring monies were set aside at the beginning of the project to ensure it was restored at the end of the ten-year pit life.

Questions were asked by members of the public about the link between Island Roads and Wight Building Materials which share a parent company, Eurovia.

Residents called for an independent highways assessment to be carried out, something Cllr Pitcher believed would happen.

Concerns were also raised about the route aggregate vehicles would take, which has been changed by WBM following previous discussions with residents.

The route could now see 32-tonne lorries using Brocks Copse Road to leave Wootton, then Alverstone Road to the Racecourse Roundabout before coming back into the village and turning right at The Cedars pub — instead of using Palmers Road straight onto Lushington Hill.

The aggregate would then be taken to St George’s Down on the outskirts of Newport via Downend.

With a maximum 50 lorry movements a day, between 8am and 4pm, residents said Brocks Copse Road was not suitable for both lorries and pedestrians, cyclists or horse riders although a footpath has been proposed.

Cllr Barrie Hailestone raised concerns the bridge on Brocks Copse Road could collapse with ten years of heavy traffic going over it.

Comments on the application, 22/00654/FUL, can be submitted until May 16.