Cemex submit appeal for 'unsuitable' Hamble quarry plan

Cemex has been trying to get its plans for Hamble through since 2021 even though the quarry would be less than 80 metres from 250 houses and less than 160 metres from a school.

At a tense Hampshire County Council meeting in May, the planning committee unanimously rejected the application to extract 250,000 tons of sand and gravel a year at Hamble Airfield.

But now Cemex has submitted an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate which if successful could pave the way to the quarry.

READ MORE: Hamble quarry plans are refused - the full reaction

Emma Westmacott, who chairs the Hamble Residence Peninsular Group, told the Echo: “We knew it was going to happen but we’re still gutted.

“The biggest heartache for us is how little concern there is towards the human beings of the area, the residents that live there and have their livelihoods or businesses, or the children at the school.”

Emma said that while public objection letters show the masses are not happy, it is well known that they do not carry much weight.

“The game to play in these situations is extremely scary for residents," she said.

"Because unless you spend a lot of time understanding the system and how you get heard, you get walked over.”

A banner on Satchell Lane protested the location of the quarry.

Emma believes that developers will always continue to try and put something on the site, which is the size of 84 football pitches on Hamble Airfield.

She said that at least with the quarry plans, the residence group are fighting the “devil they know”.

Emma said: “If they hadn’t appealed, we’d all be wondering about what they were going to do next.

“What is depressing and hard to live with, is the reality that there will never be a conclusion while that company own that land. We live in a flux of uncertainty in Hamble.”

The application was originally refused on the grounds that HGV traffic would have an unacceptable impact on local roads and that Cemex had not demonstrated that air pollution would not have an impact on protected habitats and species.

The committee also noted that the quarry would result in unacceptable flooding impacts, and that Cemex had six months to appeal the decision based on those three grounds only.

The six-month period expired last week, but on November 26, Hamble Parish Council received confirmation that Cemex had submitted an appeal.

The original application was heavily criticised by residents, who submitted 5,744 written objections to the plans.

Hamble Valley MP Paul Holmes spoke out publicly against the "unsuitable" quarry, taking Hamble School pupils to Downing Street.

Paul Holmes MP and Hamble School pupils stood outside Number 10 in protest. (Image: Supplied) In his column for the Echo today, Mr Holmes said: “Hampshire is one of the most beautiful counties in the country and I am deeply concerned by the continued reckless overdevelopment which threatens us.

“If granted, this quarry would cause significant congestion, 144 HGV lorries will travel up and down Hamble Lane every day to transport 1.7 million tonnes of gravel away from the site, putting an immense strain on an already overburdened highway artery.

“So it feels like a kick in the teeth that we have to go through all this again.”An aerial view of the former Hamble Airfield - the site Cemex want to place their quarry.

READ MORE: Second victory for Hamble quarry protesters

Hamble Parish Council said that it could not give more details until it understood the grounds on which the appeal has been made.

A spokesperson from the council said: “The appeal is likely to be heard at a public inquiry, and it is at this inquiry where a final decision on the application to quarry at Hamble Airfield will be made.“

Hundreds of residents protested the quarry in May.

Cemex has confirmed to the Echo that it will be submitting an appeal.

A spokesperson said: “The site at the Former Hamble Airfield has been allocated, as part of Hampshire County Council’s Minerals Plan, for the extraction of sand and gravel to help meet the requirements for vital construction materials, that are essential for local building projects and infrastructure in the County.

“We take our responsibilities towards enhancing the natural environment extremely seriously, and our restoration work has seen us improve the biodiversity of over 1,750 hectares of land to benefit nature over the past 15 years.

“We have now submitted an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate following the decision of Hampshire County Council’s Committee to refuse permission for our application earlier this year as this site is a crucial part of the county’s strategy for supplying minerals in this part of south Hampshire.”