A Fife quarry operator has refused to meet a local liaison group because of “unreasonable behaviour” by one of its members.
Skene Group, which operates Lomond Quarry in Leslie, was not present at the Lomond Quarry liaison committee meeting held on Monday morning.
The firm did not attend the meeting for a number of reasons, including the actions of a liaison committee member, who had been turning up at the gates to the site and taking photographs of staff and vehicles.
Neil Skene from Skene Group said: “This is causing considerable distress and anxiety to people who are going to their place of work.
“We think this is unreasonable behaviour and we are not prepared to have any further dealings with him on the liaison committee.”
He added: “Reluctantly, we decided not to attend meetings of the liaison committee for several reasons. The committee is not carrying out the role it was set up to do.
“Instead it focuses on very detailed operational matters and compliance with planning conditions.
“Several reports, including the most recent independent review, have said the company operates within planning regulations but some members of the liaison committee are not willing to accept this.”
Mr Skene said the company would keep in touch with the liaison committee by email.
It is understood the firm was also unhappy with comments made in public by a Fife councillor who questioned the decision to grant the quarry planning consent.
Earlier this year, Fife Council administration leader Alex Rowley called for an independent report into the quarry’s activities. One of the resulting recommendations was to promote cooperation between Skene Group and the liaison committee.
Jan Wincott, who chairs Leslie Community Council and was at the meeting, said: “It is deeply disappointing that the Skene Group decided not to attend, as discussion around the recommendations listed in the report is fundamental to alleviating some of the stress and pressure on local residents.
“I understand that the Skene Group are also calling into play their veto on who they will or will not accept as a representative from the community, and have requested that one of the co-optees be removed because he has been counting the number of lorries entering and leaving the quarry.”
The development is the latest blow to the quarry operator’s relationship with local residents.
In 2011, Skene started rock blasting at the site. Concerned about noise and vibrations, and damage to homes, a number of residents formed an action group to campaign for the explosions to be stopped.
There was also a row over the company’s failure to adhere to planning conditions in relation to its operating hours.
However, Skene Group was eventually granted permission to start work earlier in the morning after the Scottish Government upheld its appeal against enforcement action.
Councillor John Beare said: “I am disappointed that the liaison committee is not fulfilling the role that was intended for it.
“I expressed my concerns at the recent area committee, that all did not appear to be ‘rosy in the garden’, and it appears that this indeed has turned out to be the case.
“For the liaison committee to succeed, there has to be a willingness on all sides to look to the future and seek to work together for the betterment of all those affected. The residents are not going away and neither is the quarry.
“Maybe it is time that the council sought the skills of an independent external intermediary to bring their skills to bear with the purpose of developing a working relationship between all parties.”
Councillor Kay Morrison added that the liaison committee’s function was written into the planning consent granted to the quarry.