Planning approval given to create new quarry on Guernsey's Chouet headland

Concerns raised at the planning meeting include the impact on biodiversity, and levels of noise and dust. Credit: ITV Channel Television

Plans to create a new quarry on Guernsey's Chouet headland have been approved by the Development & Planning Authority.

At an open planning meeting, the DPA voted unanimously to start work on the quarry which will eventually replace the current site at Les Vardes.

The existing quarry, which supplies the island's construction industry, is predicted to run out of accessible material in mid-2023.

States members approved the use of the site for a quarry in principle last October, but the exact planning permissions

Various concerns were raised at the meeting, including levels of dust, noise and vibrations, as well as the impact on local biodiversity, nearby houses and businesses.

To tackle these concerns, the DPA has imposed several additional conditions:

  • measures to manage dust levels

  • restrictions on the days and times when blasting is allowed

  • running a consultation on planting around the perimeter of the site, which will be returned to the Authority once completed

  • lowering machinery on the site to reduce visual and noise impact

Victoria Oliver, President of the DPA, says: "We have listened carefully to the representations made and considered this application in accordance with the Development Framework approved last year, based on the principles of the Island Development Plan.

"The conditions which have been added to this planning application are so important in ensuring that this work is carried out with the appropriate mitigations."