A controversial plan to extend a Yorkshire Dales quarry has been withdrawn amid criticism of the applicant from local residents.

The decision has been taken by Tarmac, which had applied to extend the area quarried and the number of years that Wensley Quarry would be worked.

The plan was opposed by residents of nearby Preston-under-Scar who claimed the operator had ignored villagers and misled council officials over problems with noise, dust and vibrations.

It is understood Tarmac now plans to hold further talks with residents in a bid to address their concerns before resubmitting the application.
Tarmac has not responded to an opportunity to comment on the withdrawal, but the application is marked as ‘withdrawn’ on North Yorkshire Council’s planning portal. Preston-under-Scar Parish Council has also been notified of the operator’s decision.

In an update to local residents, the parish council said Tarmac had taken the decision following feedback they received during the statutory consultation exercise held as part of the application.  The council said the company would carry out further technical work and review the concerns raised by residents and statutory consultees so that they could be addressed in a revised application.

Tarmac has invited parish councillors to a meeting to discuss the feedback received and how they can improve the relationship with local residents, the council said.

The opposition to the application has been led by Preston-under-Scar Residents’ Group, which said it was taking legal advice over the plans.
A spokesperson said: “We are pleased that Tarmac have decided to withdraw their planning application to extend the working of Wensley Quarry and are carrying out further technical work and reviewing the concerns raised by the local community. They have stated that these concerns will be addressed in a revised application; we do hope that this will be the case.”

The original application stated that no dust complaints had been received by the quarry in the last ten years and so no amendments were needed to previously agreed planning conditions.

But villagers said they had records showing that numerous complaints had been raised with the quarry in recent years.
It was also claimed that Tarmac had failed to inform council officers of the complaints when they made site visits and failed to maintain a complaints log, which it was required to do under the terms of the previous permission.