A PLANNING application to extend a Dartmoor quarry has been given the go-ahead despite a wealth of opposition from nearby residents.

Yennadon Quarry, in Iron Mine Lane, Dousland, first asked Dartmoor National Park Authority for approval for an extension to the site back in 2013, after it was reported by operator Yennadon Stone Ltd that the site would run out of workable stone within a few years.

The 2017 application, which remained unchanged from one submitted in 2015, was approved by the authority at its planning meeting last Friday.

The extension will see the existing stone quarry extended to the north, increasing its size by roughly a third from 2.2 hectares to 3.2 hectares — an increase approxi-mately equivalent to 1.4 full football pitches.

In total the application received around 100 letters of objection and 50 letters of support and was objected to by Burrator Parish Council as it would ‘enlarge an already intrusive operation in the proximity of a residential area’.

At its development management committee meeting last week, members of the DNPA discussed all the issues but ultimately resolved to grant planning permission.

A spokesperson for Dartmoor National Park said: ‘An earlier application was refused that proposed a slightly larger extension and incorporated a large bund that was considered to have a harmful visual impact in the area. 

‘The approved scheme, submitted in July 2015, is approximately one third smaller in area and as well as omitting the previously proposed bunds, also provides for the reduction in height and regrading of an existing bund, together with progressive restoration which will see the quarry returned to a more natural state far quicker than it would otherwise under its extant permission.

‘The authority recognises that the quarry extension will result in the loss of a small part of Yennadon Common, but the benefits that will be achieved through a more comprehensive and phased restoration scheme and support for the local economy were considered to outweigh the harm.

‘This permission follows 24 months of negotiation and deliberation, and will allow the quarry to continue working at current levels until 2026 when its current permission is due to expire.’

The site is on land owned by the Walkhampton Trust and administered by Lord Roborough’s Maristow Estate and leased to Yennadon Stone Ltd.

A spokesperson for Yennadon Stone Ltd said: ‘Securing a long-term future for Yennadon Quarry has been our greatest challenge since we first rescued it back in 2004.

‘It’s pleasing in so many ways — but perhaps most importantly it will provide the fantastic team of people that we work with with greater confidence for the future and we can now look at a longer term programme of investment and training.

‘We were able to demonstrate with evidence from organisations like the British Geological Survey that Yennadon stone has its own distinctive geological characteristic in terms of strengh, durability and colour and that this is the only operational source for this type of hornfels slate in the South West. This is incredibly important when you take into account its role in both preserving existing buildings within the park and building new ones.’