A GRAVEL PIT ON YOUR DOORSTEP?

In 2009 Hanson Aggregates UK Limited submitted an application to Surrey County Council to dig 2,400,000 tonnes of sand and gravel from a huge site of 57 hectares (141 acres) at Milton Park Farm, Egham. It is bounded by Manorcroft Road, the M25 motorway, Stroude Road, and Whitehall Lane. It would stretch from Manorcroft School and the Egham Bowls Club to beyond Great Fosters and to Procter & Gamble’s research laboratories – see the clickable map below:

The extraction and filling could last from between 10 and 15 years!The application estimates that there would be approximately 230–280 HGV lorry movements per day (each of up to 20 tonnes) entering and leaving the site at a new roundabout to be built on Stroude Road between (a) the junction of that road with Manorcroft Road, Braywood Avenue and Whitehall Lane and (b) the roundabout in front of Milton Park. It is anticipated that some (5%) lorries would turn north and go through Egham but most (95%) would turn south and then East over the M25 motorway bridge on New Wickham Lane. The majority (60%) would turn left again into Vicarage Road and attempt to cross the railway at Pooley Green, 30% would turn south on to Thorpe Lea Road towards Thorpe and on to Chertsey and 5% would continue eastwards through Egham Hythe. Some of these lorries would bring in inert waste to fill the gravel pits for restoration to agriculture and some would bring cement to feed the concrete batching plant located near the proposed silt lagoon behind Manorcroft School. The view of works buildings 15 metres (49 feet) high would be a visual intrusion. There would be additional noise and dust; and air quality might be affected.  Before excavating each phased area, low-permeability clay walls would be inserted around the perimeter, to enable the quarry to be pumped dry.  These walls would also later maintain a geological barrier to the inert waste fill material. Although relief drains would be put in place and monitoring carried out, there are serious concerns regarding any disturbance of groundwater flows and levels; with possibly an increase in the risk of flooding, or worse, subsidence.  So what can we do to stop all this happening? Yes, we’ve had these threats of gravel raising before and we’ve successfully fought off all previous applications. This one however looks more serious.

The hard copy of the planning application, together with its environmental statement and appendices, measures 7 inches in thickness and weighs 15 pounds!  You can write to The Director of Technical Services, Runnymede Borough Council, Civic Centre, Station Road, Addlestone, KT15 2AH quoting reference number RU.09/0299: Milton Park Farm, Egham. Applications for gravel extraction are a County issue and thus RBC does not determine the outcome but did raise a strong objection to Surrey County Council.  The application will now be discussed and determined by the SCC Planning & Regulatory Committee, which (after 11yrs of delay) is currently re-scheduled once again for 18th November 2020 (but may be delayed further, and so on, etc. ). We will contact residents once the date is finalised to co-ordinate objections.

The application can be viewed here alternatively go to http://planning.runnymede.gov.uk/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/GeneralSearch.aspx, View current and past Planning Applications, Planning Applications Archive, Week 15 – 8th April 2009; then scroll down to RU.09/0299 Milton Park Farm; and click on ‘Unfortunately the files…are extremely large’. The Non-Technical Summary (18 MB) is the best place to start.