Calls for decision to be made on Guernsey's future quarry

A decision on whether to dig a new quarry in Guernsey needs to be taken urgently according to the States.

The only on-island quarry has almost run out of material, according to the owners of Les Vardes. 

125,000 tonnes of stone are extracted at the site every year, supplying the island's construction industry with aggregate, concrete and granite slabs.

But the quarry, which has been mined since 1961, will run out in two years. 

The States will have to decide whether to allow operators Ronez to build a new quarry at Chouet Headland, or import all of the island's aggregate. 

Chouet Headland was identified as a source of granite a decade ago with an estimated three to four million tonnes of stone, which could last more than 30 years. But residents say a new quarry would ruin their local area.