Friday 12 April 2019
A Draft Development Framework has been prepared by the Planning Service to provide guidance for the potential development of land for the extraction and processing of granite to produce aggregates at Chouet Headland within the Vale Parish.
The site covers approximately 8.5 hectares (51 vergées) in area. It currently contains a mix of uses and features including the weighbridge and ancillary facilities for Mont Cuet Landfill site, green waste composting and bring bank facilities, historic structures , the Torrey Canyon Quarry, recreation uses, a public car park, and part of the public coastal path which runs along the south, west and northern boundaries of the site.
The potential for mineral extraction on the Island is limited. Les Vardes Quarry, the only active quarry, has limited stone reserves left. After all these reserves are extracted, Guernsey would be reliant upon imported aggregates to meet all construction industry needs unless a new quarry is established. This would impact the cost of construction on the Island, as well as employment within the quarrying industry and related trades.
Preliminary surveys indicate that the reserves of stone on Chouet Headland could meet the Island's needs for aggregate for potentially 33 years or more. Other than at Chouet Headland, there are no other economically recoverable reserves within the Island according to all available information.
The States has already agreed that Chouet headland is a strategic reserve of stone through the Strategic Land Use Plan (2011) and the Island Development Plan (2016) which designates Chouet headland as a Safeguarded Area for possible mineral extraction.
Under Policy IP5, a Development Framework is required to be prepared to bring this site forward for mineral extraction. There are a number of complex economic, social and environmental impacts to consider and extensive research has been undertaken, consulting with relevant experts, to inform the preparation of this draft. The overall intention is to provide guidance and to set out the requirements for potential developers and operators which will help to ensure that mineral extraction can occur within the Chouet Headland in a sustainable and safe way, respecting and protecting the local environment surrounding the site, as well as the amenity of local communities, residents and the local infrastructure.
Development & Planning Authority President, Deputy John Gollop said:
"This draft document shows the value of addressing the complex set of issues in a Development Framework to give a clear indication about how the site should be developed before detailed plans are drawn up for the planning application process and to allow public comment at an early stage."
The Development & Planning Authority is now inviting comments on the Draft Development Framework document by e-mail at planning@gov.gg or in writing to the Authority over the next eight weeks until 7th June 2019. Following consultation, the comments received together with the document will then be considered by the Development & Planning Authority. If approved by the Authority, the Development Framework will become Supplementary Planning Guidance and will be taken into account when considering development proposals for this site.
The Draft Development Framework can be accessed via the States of Guernsey website at https://gov.gg/developmentframeworks or copies of the Draft Development Framework are available to view at the Planning Service Reception at Sir Charles Frossard House, La Charroterie, St Peter Port.
All responses and comments should be received by 5pm on Friday 7th June 2019.
