A quarry operator is fighting Fife Council’s refusal to allow it to extract two million tonnes of sand and gravel from farmland in the Howe of Fife.
Earlier this year the local authority declined planning permission for a quarry at Kinloch Farm, near Collessie.
Residents in the area had campaigned against the 82-hectare development and a leading NHS Fife consultant had warned that neighbours’ health could be put at risk from dust.
However, Laird Aggregates has appealed to Scottish ministers to overturn the decision by the council’s North East Fife area committee.
It has accused the committee of unreasonable behaviour and claims it had no justifiable reason to refuse planning permission.
The firm’s legal agents, Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie, told the Scottish Government’s directorate for planning and environmental appeals that: “Detailed evidence was provided to demonstrate that the proposal complies with national and regional planning guidance and standards recognised industry-wide as best practice.
“This evidence has been subjected to detailed scrutiny by the council’s professional advisory bodies as statutory consultees.
“All statutory consultees concluded that, with appropriate conditioning, the development was acceptable.”
Laird Aggregates proposes to operate the quarry for almost 15 years before restoring the land.
Official reasons for planning refusal were that the development would have a detrimental visual impact, significant cumulative effects on residential amenity, road safety and visual amenity, trees would have to be removed and there was no evidence of a deficiency of aggregates for the construction industry.
However, Laird Aggregates pointed out those differed from the reasons agreed by councillors at their meeting on February 27, which it said were not justified by any evidence.
Laird Aggregates claimed the potential for noise, dust, environmental and air quality impact was low or negligible.
It also argued there was a demonstrated need for the sand and gravel, that seven jobs would be created and that local firms would be employed for supplies, maintenance and specialist support.
Giffordtown Community Council has pledged to challenge the appeal and has accused the company of submitting a flood of information with its appeal at a time of year when objectors may have little time to digest it.
Chairwoman Jane Hutchinson said: “This appeal is not unexpected since there is so much at stake for people on either side of the discussion.
“Participation will be extremely time-consuming for objectors in the course of high summer whereas the appellant company and their agents seem to have embarked on professional saturation bombing precisely when most local residents are embarking on their main summer holidays.”
Photo by David Wardle