RESIDENTS who opposed the building of a David Lloyd Leisure Centre and the relocation of Farnham Rugby Club to land at Monkton Lane could now be faced with a quarry instead.

As The Herald went to press this week, local politicians and councillors were called to a meeting by Surrey County Council, which has identified land in the vicinity of Monkton Lane for a possible sand extraction and landfill site.

The Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for South West Surrey, Jeremy Hunt, is among those campaigning to prevent the proposal from going any further.

"Development of this area as a quarry could lead to a lot of extra traffic and would reduce the quality of life in the area," Mr Hunt said.

Last June, plans for the leisure centre and a new base for the rugby club in the vicinity were dropped after David Lloyd Leisure pulled out.

After a long and hard-fought campaign by the rugby club, Waverley council had given the controversial scheme its approval.

But because of the site's situation in the "strategic gap" at Weybourne, the plan was "called in" for decision by the Government Office for the South East.

David Lloyd Leisure, which had been intending to fund a substantial part of the cost of relocating the rugby club from its sub-standard site at Wrecclesham, pulled the plug, fearing the expense of a public inquiry and the uncertain outcome.

Surrey County Council has identified a site in the vicinity for a potential quarry following a report which stated that, subject to borehole investigations, it is estimated that the zone may contain a net terrace sharp sand and gravel reserve of approximately 500,000 tonnes.

Farnham Town Council is opposed to the idea of extraction.

It believes that a quarry is wholly inappropriate in view of "the pivotal importance of the site in maintaining the integrity of the strategic gap between Farnham and Aldershot".

Both the town council and Mr Hunt believe the establishment of a quarry would destroy a vital part of the local rural infrastructure.

Mr Hunt said he is concerned that the county council report also makes reference to the possible use of the site for landfill after extraction has taken place.

He is therefore working with Surrey county councillor David Munro to demand that the county council excludes the area from its Minerals Development Framework.

"At Surrey County Council's consultation this week, we will be pressing very hard, along with a number of other people, for Monkton Lane to be taken out of the approved sites," Mr Munro said.

"I cannot confirm the quarry would be in the exact same field as the leisure centre would have been at this stage, but it is certainly in the strategic gap area."

The Mayor of Waverley, Victor Duckett, who opposed the David Lloyd development proposal, is also in agreement with Farnham Town Council.

"The reason I opposed the sports development is because it is against our local plan and we made the local plan," he said.

"If you make exceptions, what is the point of having one in the first place?

"I am not surprised that other people have their beady eye on this land, but as far as I'm concerned, it is still the strategic gap between Aldershot and Farnham and it should be protected."

Gillian Beel, a Weybourne resident and a former Waverley councillor, is not in favour of a quarry at the site either.

"I can't say that I would welcome this with open arms," she said.

"I would be concerned about all the additional traffic and once all the sand has been excavated, what happens to the site then?"

"I don't live right on top of it, but I am certainly not at all enthusiastic about the idea. I support Mr Hunt and Mr Munro opposing this idea every inch of the way."