ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners have critisised Hampshire County Council's argument that Kingsley is a suitable site for a new quarry. The potential quarry site, which would be dug to provide essential gravel and sand, lies between Shortheath Common and Lode Farm, and is controversial because it lies in the proposed South Downs National Park. Other concerns are that the site is adjacent to listed buildings Kingsley Mill and Lode Farm and is surrounded by Sites of Special Scientific Interest and internationally protected Special Areas of Conservation. Last week's Herald reported that county councillor Mel Kendal, the executive member for environment, said: "The land in the proposed Kingsley Quarry extension is on the edge of the proposed National Park, and would not be detrimental to National Park purposes." But Terry Blake, from the Campaign to Save Kingsley, said: "This makes no sense. "How can you just discount all those huge areas of land in the supposedly protected National Parks on the basis that they are not in the middle of the parks but run up to the boundaries? This site has been included in the designated South Downs National Park after careful consideration and enquiry and because it meets the criteria for National Park status. Councillor Kendal can't just brush all this aside and decide that it doesn't count as this piece of land is on the perimeters. Turning 75 acres of designated National Park into an industrial site for 30 years does not conserve or enhance its natural beauty, wildlife or cultural heritage. Quarries destroy the environment and landscape, not protect them." Hampshire County Council is required by the Government to extract 2.63m tonnes of sand and gravel each year, and is fighting to get these levels lowered to 1.82m tonnes per annum. The council is choosing future quarry sites on the basis of this lower figure. But if the Government does not accept this new figure, additional quarries may be imposed on Hampshire.   Resident and campaigner Karin Clayton said: "The crucial thing is to make sure we give Hampshire County Council the strongest mandate possible to argue that local people support the least damaging option for the environment. "Everyone knows there's a credit crunch hitting the construction industry. Hampshire County Council is right to reject central Government's out-of-date extraction targets on sand for building, and we must all give them support by voting for option D (in a web poll) to show the strength of local feeling. If we don't do this, many more Hampshire residents may face the noise, increased lorry traffic and environmental destruction of new quarries being developed near their homes." The council is trying to get a public mandate for the lower figure and is running a poll, until August 1, at the online address: consult.hants.gov.uk/portal/ pdpp/hmp/sand_and_gravel_apportionment_poll.