Plans for a new quarry outside Huntly have been left in limbo as the outraged owner of a nearby castle prepares for legal action if the massive project is approved.
Leiths (Scotland) wants to dig up 30 acres of land – the equivalent of about 15 football pitches – and turn it into an excavation site for sand and gravel.
The site near Rhynie would reach 892ft deep – the equivalent of “two Big Ben towers”.
However, dozens of locals are fighting the proposals – saying it will destroy the peaceful countryside spot.
Among them are wealthy businessman Andrew Foreman, who recently spent a fortune on historic Craig Castle there.
As councillors sat down to decide the application, which had been backed by their own officials, Mr Foreman launched a last ditch plea to halt the scheme’s progress…
What happened at the meeting?
The meeting began with planning officer Graham Hannaford explaining the project, stressing that experts from Historic Environment Scotland had given the idea their blessing.
But councillor Sarah Brown echoed the fears of residents as she asked about pollution levels increasing due to the lorries heading to and from the quarry outside Huntly.
Mr Hannaford urged her, and rural residents, to look at the bigger picture.
He stressed that there is a need for quarries based in Aberdeenshire, which would ultimately mean shorter travel distances for material being brought to building sites.
The planning expert said: “In this very centralised location, there may be more emissions.
“But, broader based, the emissions would be reduced compared to having the quarry at another location further away – which would require more driving.”
And Mr Hannaford said the increase in traffic going through places like Alford and Lumsden would “not be significant”.
Quarry bosses defend plan to dig up countryside
Leiths planning manager Colin Ortlepp addressed the councillors on the benefits of the proposal.
Mr Ortlepp said Leiths is a “long-established, family-owned Aberdeen business” which employs 500 people.
And he claimed it was the owner of the fields who got in touch with Leiths, touting the land’s potential for quarry operations.
He added: “The Craigs Farm site was brought to us by the landowner, and two separate site investigations followed.
“There will be change to the status quo… And we need to ensure impacts from operations are managed through design. We need to be good neighbours.
“There will be a modest amount of additional HGV movements, which equates on average to one vehicle moving to or from the site per hour.”
What did objectors say?
Andrew Foreman, who owns Craig Castle just yards away, made an impassioned address to councillors.
Mr Foreman accused Aberdeenshire Council officials of “failing to conduct proper research” before giving the scheme their backing.
He added: “Craig Castle is a nationally significant heritage asset, a quarry will leave it at risk and destroy the tranquility in the area.”
The castle owner also voiced fears that the changes would affect his restoration plans for ancient woodland in the vicinity, and “threaten the survival” of local badgers, newts and red squirrels.
‘I reserve the right to take legal action’
And Mr Foreman warned that he had primed his legal team to swoop if the plans are rubber-stamped…
He warned: “I believe the application is flawed, and the council’s recommendation for approval would stand little chance of success if challenged in court.
“I reserve the right to take legal action.”
Fellow objector Sally Hamilton argued the Huntly quarry plan would have “no economic benefit” for the area, while creating road risks due to the added lorries.
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How did they vote in the end?
Ultimately, elected members voted to carry out a visit to the site before reaching any decision on the quarry.
Huntly councillor Gwyneth Petrie said she “still had a lot of unanswered questions” on the quarry plan.
The decision was unanimous, meaning the scheme will be decided at a future committee meeting.
You can see the Huntly quarry plans on the Aberdeenshire Council website.
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