A NEW assessment by Alton Road quarry owners Earthline Ltd has found that HGV emissions associated with the resumption of mineral extraction on the site would have “no significant effect” on human health.

Earthline was given permission to extract a further 770,000 tonnes of soft sand and 512,000 cubic metres of clay from the 100-acre Alton Road pit in Wrecclesham by Surrey County Council last September.

It comes after a decade-long hiatus to extraction activities on the site, during which time the quarry has become a popular location for dog walkers and habitat for wildlife.

An addendum to Earthline’s 2014 consent, and specifically its dust and air quality assessment (DAQA), was required after the government issued new guidance on the assessment of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) exhaust emissions in May, 2015.

This addendum, which is subject to approval by Waverley Borough Council (WBC), found that pollutants associated with the estimated average 170 daily HGV movements at the pit would not significantly impact on human health, “either alone or in combination with other major developments in the locality”.

Earthline’s addendum added: “Consequently, the findings of the DAQA for the proposed development that ‘…its effect on air quality should be low priority consideration for WBC’ are unchanged and the development will not have a significant effect on air quality for Waverley Borough Council.”

To view or comment on the application, visit the website www.waverley.gov.uk/planning and search for reference WA/2015/1447. The deadline for public comments is Friday, August 28.

Earthline, which took on a lease for the quarry to the rear of the Westfield Lane sports ground in 2012, must infill the site with 2.6 million cubic metres of non-hazardous inert waste and restore it to nature by the end of 2029 under its extant planning consent.