We write to county council in bid to save ancient woodland from quarrying

CPRE Kent have objected to the potential destruction of Oaken Wood at Barming by a quarry extension.

We have written to the county council to state our opposition to the inclusion of Hermitage Quarry as a site option for the extraction of hard rock in the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan review.

Our objection concerns large-scale adverse impact on ancient woodland, plus loss of Best and Most Versatile (BMV) farmland, impact on a Local Wildlife Site and Site of Special Scientific Interest and impacts on listed buildings and air quality.

If the expansion of Hermitage Quarry into Oaken Wood goes ahead, at least 41 hectares of ancient woodland will be destroyed by the quarrying of Kentish ragstone.

Perversely, nearby land west of Hermitage Lane theoretically safeguarded in the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2024-39 for ragstone quarrying could instead be allocated for the building of 1,300 houses… hence the possibility of losing Oaken Wood to quarrying.

It is an absurd situation and (yet another!) indictment of a planning system that embarrasses the country. The Hermitage Lane area has already suffered extensive housing development, with permission granted for much more, but ridiculously high government targets mean Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council is unable to demonstrate a five-year housing supply so might opt for the 1,300 on the Hermitage Lane site formerly targeted for quarrying… all of which means Oaken Wood could potentially be facing the axe as an alternative site for ragstone extraction.

In a complex state of affairs, Tonbridge and Malling’s planning committee had refused permission for the 1,300-unit housing scheme, but we understand that officers are bringing the application back to committee due to the potential costs risk of defending a potential refusal of planning permission at appeal.

Again CPRE Kent have written to members of the planning committee urging them not to reverse their decision to refuse planning permission for the housing scheme. The risk of appeal costs should never be a reason to grant planning permission.

If there is to be further development in the area, surely a less damaging option could be to quarry the ‘original’ safeguarded site and then dedicate that to housing. Such an approach would mean the necessary ragstone could be extracted, the required houses are built and a stretch of ancient woodland is saved.

Sadly, however, the contrived urgency for housing brought about by a failed five-year supply means that eminently sensible option is not being considered (and remember this is at a time when housebuilders are choosing to not build out their permissions!).

A decision on whether to include Oaken Wood in the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan review and put it out to Regulation 19 consultation is to be made by the county council’s cabinet tomorrow (Thursday, July 16).

• To read our objection to the inclusion of Oaken Wood as a site option, click here
• To read our letter to TMBC’s planning committee members, click here