A firm removing clay from a Buchan quarry is hoping to extend its permit to work there until 2024.
Extraction of Teuchan clay quarry, near Peterhead, was due to finish in September, however Suez Recycling and Recovery UK is seeking permission to continue digging there for a further four years.
The clay extracted is used to line Stoneyhill Waste Management’s nearby landfill site, near Cruden Bay.
In an application to Aberdeenshire Council, Suez Group’s assistant planning manager Jonathan Wilson, said: “Permission was granted in 2012 for shallow extraction of sufficient material to enable around 39,600m3 of clay to be exported to Stoneyhill landfill site, for engineering and restoration purposes, over a period of five years.
“Permission was then granted in 2016 to allow quarrying activities to continue for a further three years, until September 30, 2020.
“Whilst to date only 15,000m3 clay has been extracted for use at Stoneyhill, the remaining clay is still an important local resource for the landfill engineering and is anticipated to be needed until such time as the landfill is closed and restored.”
Expansion of the site in 2014 was approved despite dozens of objections from nearby residents over road safety.
This latest application suggests there will be a maximum of 80 lorries making trips to and from the works on any one day.
The new end dates being sought are September 30, 2024 for extraction and April 30, 2025 for restoration.