The Peak District National Park Authority has welcomed a decision by
the
House of Lords not
to hear an appeal against its enforcement action against
continued quarrying at
Longstone
Edge.
Destruction halted at
Backdale Quarry
The decision almost certainly spells the end of the long-running and
controversial dispute over the rights of the quarry owners to extract
limestone from Backdale Quarry under a legal loophole over mineral
rights.
Essentially the quarry owners are allowed to extract the mineral
fluospar and small quantities of limestone in the process, but have
effectively been mining excessive amounts of limestone to the
consternation of local people and the Park Authority.
The decision by Law Lords not to allow an appeal against a Park
Authority order to stop limestone quarrying should spell the end of the
legal process.
Chair of the Authority Narendra Bajaria said: “We very much welcome
this decision - and we hope and expect it will speed progress toward a
permanent resolution of the problems on Longstone Edge.
“It is a testament to the resolve and expertise of the Authority and
its legal advisers. We’d like to thank all those people in the local
communities, national environmental groups, MPs and the Government for
their active backing of our case.
“We now want to talk directly to the companies involved to find out
their intentions. Our expectation is that any future working will be in
line with the interpretation of the planning permission given by the
Court of Appeal. This is the definitive interpretation which the House
of Lords has now said should not be challenged.”
Hopefully that'll be the end of it. More information about the
quarrying from linked articles below and at
www.longstone-edge.org.uk
