Longstone Edge between Calver and Gt Longstone is under increased threat of destruction now that a judge has effectively overturned the outcome of last years public enquiry into the quarying activities. The Calver Peak fell race covers much of the area in question and attract many runners evey year. Take a look at http://www.longstone-edge.org.uk/index.htm for more information.
Although i agree it should be saved, to think that fatty McLoughlin will do anything is a laugh. he's always been a bloody useless MP in a safe seat.
Generally going nowhere fast.
Whatever your feelings about an individaul MP (and I have to say I don't have much regard for many them) this is a National issue about a National Park being spoilt by a single quarry operator. Some significant points:
RMC walked away from the quarrying operation several years ago when it became contraversial.
The current operator is running an open cast Limestone quarry under a 1952 permission which was intended only to allow Flourspar extraction by pick and shovel.
Unlike most other operators they refused to move to a more modern permission which included restoration conditions. The Peak Park should have
been able to compel this but for some legal technicalities.
Following a 10 day public inquiry a planning inspector found largely in favour of the Peak Park which would in all probability have led to a final solution.
On appeal, a high court judge decided in 1 day that the inspectors decision was flawed, and without regard for the consequences and the fact that this is a national park allowed almost unlimited Limestone extraction.
Sorry to go on so, but this is an incredibly important issue that may well have implications for other, at the moment benign, quarrying activities both here and elsewhere.
Does the high court judge live next door to the quarry?
Is he a walker or a runner?
Probably a BFB!
My point is that quarrying brings in work and if fatty McLoughlin thinks that's going to get more votes he'll go for that lobby , if not he'll help save the edge. He's just a pretty ineffectual MP, don't rely on him for help!
Generally going nowhere fast.
The Government's response to the online petition:
http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page14870.asp
Went to the Save Longstone Edge Group (SLEG) public meeting in Calver last night. The legal issues are pretty confusing. One critic of the Peak Park Authority seemed to imply that the Authority had failed/decided not to, push for the more modern permission (with the reparation etc).
McLoughlin came across well in the meeting actually - as a good speaker anyway.
I got the impression that SLEG need to broaden their horizons about their campaign - although the core of their supporters will always be local residents who are affected day in day out by lorries, dust, etc - they could do more to attract supporters from amongst park users - I have to admit I don't care if house values go down in a a place i could never afford to live - but I do care about the effect of a (in my mind illegal) quarrying operation in a natural area I consider to be a treasured resource. I also have concerns that this appeal judgement could have ramifications on other mining/quarrying disputes in the Peak and other national parks.
The parallel courses of action available to the Park Authority seem to be:
1) Appeal against the appeal judgement - this requires the right to appeal to be granted - there are issues about how this would be funded - McLoughlin seemed to imply the Government rather than the Park Authority should lodge/fund the appeal because the planning decision that the appeal judgement overruled was a government decision.
2) Apply for revocation of the quarrying permission - this seems to involve (the government/somebody?) compensating the permission holder for loss of the resource.
I think the issue was that the PP authority could only enforce a modern permission with restoration if the owner/operator supplied relevant information. Predictably this owner/operator refused to this unlike the more responsible operators e.g. Glebe.
As for house prices, well I do live in the area but I would also like my kids to be able to afford to live here so mixed opinions on this.
Jobs, well there aren't many involved and if the quarrying was put on a 'legal' basis, not so destructive and with full restoration then there may even be more jobs although the economics would dictate that.
So, from my perspective its not the quarrying in itself I object to just the totally destructive way this particular operator is going about it.
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