THE family-run Country Market at Sleaford faces troubled times ahead, as Hampshire County Council (HCC) has proposed to turn the land into a mineral quarry. The controversial proposal comes from HCC's latest waste and mineral framework plan – a document which aims to highlight areas of good quality sand and gravel. When the farm was inherited in 1983 by husband and wife team June and Peter Marshall, the rights to the minerals in the land were sold, meaning that developers could turn the land into a 28-hectare quarry. Partner in the family business, Dean Marshall said: "We stand to lose a significant proportion of the land, and whether we could continue the Pick Your Own business in light of the disruption and dust, remains to be seen. It is a worrying time for all the family. "The fact that we grow all of our produce on this land is the essence of what we are and what we do. If the proposal goes ahead, we will no longer be able to be a source of local food, with little environmental impact. That aspect will be gone and key elements of the farm will be lost. "Our family have been farming this land for 40 years, and in 1983 parts of the farm were sold due to death duties. "Since then my father has worked incredibly hard to build the farm back up and it would be devastating to see that hard work wasted". Kingsley Parish Council has vowed to support the farm and have already started to campaign against the proposal. Chairman of Kingsley Parish Council Colin Neville said: "Kingsley Parish Council is appalled by the proposal to turn top-grade agricultural land into a sand quarry. Country Market is one of the most important employers and local shopping amenity for the local community. "The parish of Kingsley has been subjected to sand extraction for over 50 years now. With all the nasty environmental impact of noise, dust and pollution and the daily movement of heavy lorries, the impact on our community would be too much. "Enough is enough, leave Kingsley alone – we have done more than our share." Parish councillors are hopeful that the fact the Country Market lies within the boundary of the proposed South Downs National Park could save the land from excavation. However, the site is just 1,000 feet from the proposed boundary. "We are in unknown territory. 1,000 feet to the boundary is extremely close, and we don't know if there could be a buffer zone," said Mr Neville. The sheer size of the quarry, which would provide the council with 1.8 million tonnes of minerals, is a source of concern for local people. Kingsley resident Brian Davey said: "You could drop the centre of Kingsley into this huge site and it would be lost. This proposal really undermines the use of a very valuable facility to the community." If the land is to be excavated, developers would then have an obligation to restore the land. However, the restoration would be a lengthy process. Mr Marshall said: "It would take years to restore the land, and a long time to re-establish the wildlife. We see deer and rabbits on the land – and other natural Hampshire wildlife here. Excavation would be hugely damaging to their environment. "This is a beautiful part of the world and it is an absolute shame to destroy it," he added. Anyone who would like to have a say regarding the waste and minerals consultation, can write to The Planning and Development Policy Team, Hampshire County Council environment department, The Castle, Winchester SO23 8UD or email [email protected]">[email protected] before December 12.
