Scenic Super Quarry Plans Blocked Again

The Edinburgh Court of Sessions last week threw out a 'backdoor attempt' to overturn a previous Executive decision blocking the establishment of a massive 600 hectare superquarry within a National Scenic Area on Harris.

Giant French company Lafarge wants to develop the UK's largest quarry on the beautiful Sottish island, but has been opposed both by local residents and The Link Quarry Group, a coalition of environment groups opposed to the quarry.

The Link Group welcomed the court's decision and spokesperson Duncan Mclaren commented:

"When will Lafarge accept that 'non' means 'non'? They have been told repeatedly by the Scottish authorities and people that their 'super-quarry' proposals are unacceptable. Yet they have persisted in pursuing every arcane planning and legal possibility. Now the Scottish law lords have confirmed that only a tiny part of the site has a valid existing permission. It's time for Lafarge to withdraw gracefully before they are rebuffed yet again.

"Lafarge's bosses claim that they support sustainable development. They should accept that the only sustainable decision in this case is to drop the entire proposal, and then apologise to the people of Harris for the uncertainty and disruption they have caused."

Astonishingly the battle against the super quarry still isn't won. Following an earlier appeal by Lafarge, a redetermination on a separate planning application dating from 1991 has yet to be issued.

For more information, see this release on the Scottish Friends of the Earth web site.