Plans revealed to change quarry hours

The owners of a Leicestershire quarry have revealed plans to carry out a key activity on the site for 24-hours a day. Holcim UK, which operates Bardon Hill Quarry near Coalville, has asked

Leicestershire County Council (LCC) for permission to extend the hours it can wash the rock it extracts from the 1,100-acre site by an extra eight hours. The plant cleans the material it

extracts from the quarry at a special wash plant on site before it is shipped out and sold to be used in road surfacing and construction. The plant can currently be operated between 6am and

10pm, but in documents submitted to LCC, the company said it is “unable to wash all the material within our permitted hours of operation”. Holcim UK said increasing the hours washing can

take place on site would "improve efficiency, increase product range and reduce product waste”. Planning documents said the changes were not expected to increase noise levels over the

permitted levels, and would not increase HGV trips to and from the site. READ MORE: NEW LEICESTERSHIRE COUNTRY PARK A POSSIBILITY – ALONGSIDE 506 HOMES Planning documents read: “Bardon Hill

Quarry has a long history of mineral extraction stretching over 150 years which has included lateral extensions to the existing quarry, introduction of ancillary operations such as asphalt,

ready mix concrete, and concrete blocks. Bardon Hill Quarry is of national importance for the supply of high quality aggregate for road surfacing and construction via road and rail.” The

wash plant is based next to the quarry's asphalt plant, which already runs around the clock. If the changes are approved, the company said it will run noise monitoring during the night

on a quarterly basis for the first year to ensure the plant operates within permitted levels. The application documents can be viewed on the county council's planning portal. We are now

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