IN the wake of news that some mineral sites have been removed from the list of those earmarked for gravel extraction in and around Bordon, residents are gearing up to fight for other sites to be excluded. The Frith End Quarry, in Sleaford, and the Kingsley Quarry, in Kingsley, remain on the list, but plans to extract gravel from Malt-house and Osborne Farms at the Country Market near Bordon, as well as from land involved in the Whitehill and Bordon Opportunity (the development opportunity facing the town when the Army leaves in 2012) have been removed from the list of potential sites. Earlier this week, county councillors agreed to lower Hampshire's allocated sand and gravel target to 1.82million tonnes per annum because of reduced demand for aggregates. The move follows comments by Ken Thornber, leader of Hamp-shire County Council, urging people to tell the South East England Regional Ass-embly (SEERA) that Hamp- shire deserves a more sustainable and lower figure than the previously quoted 2.63million tonnes. But 1.4million tonnes of sand is proposed for extraction at Frith End and 4.5million tonnes could be extracted from the Kingsley Quarry extension at Lode Farm and Rookery Farm. This second site is particularly controversial as it is in the proposed South Downs Nat-ional Park boundary and close to listed buildings, Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Special Areas of Conservation. Mary Herbert, chairman of Kingsley Parish Council, said: "We, as a parish council, are extremely concerned to discover this information in the Herald rather than from councillors themselves. We haven't been advised of it, yet it's in the paper. "However, we are really pleased that Malthouse and Osborne Farms are not included. Country Market is a very important employer and vital for people in the villages and hamlets, but Rookery Farm is historically, in terms of biodiversity, and recreationally, vitally important. We feel it is very important to keep working to have the Kingsley Quarry extension taken out of the Hampshire Mineral Plan." The recommendations of county council officers must go to the full council for a decision. There will be a consultation in the autumn before the plan goes in front of a government inspector. If the inspector decides the Kingsley Quarry extension should be included, there will be an opportunity for people to voice concerns when Tarmac asks for planning permission.
