A county councillor has slammed plans for a sand and gravel quarry off the A12, calling it an “environmental catastrophe”.
Christopher Hudson, the Conservative Suffolk County Councillor for Belstead Brook, was responding to a planning application for the extraction of 2.8m tonnes of sand and gravel over a 15-year period.
The plans for the 35.7-hectare site off the A12 at Brockley Wood, between Belstead and Bentley, are recommended for approval at Suffolk County Council’s Development and Regulation Committee tomorrow.
Mr Hudson said: “It’s an environmental catastrophe. We don’t need the quarry; we have capacity elsewhere, and it’s very unpopular.
“Brockley Wood is an ancient woodland with lots of fauna and flora. It’s an environmental catastrophe which risks the wildlife, plants, and human beings in the area.
“Additionally, the roads around there are very small and they’re going to send hundreds of vehicles to clog up the A12/A14 interchange.”
The councillor joins a rising number of critics who have voiced opposition to the quarry, including Bentley Parish Councillor Michael Bamford.
The Development and Regulation Committee will take place on Tuesday, March 19 at 10am.
The council said it could not comment in advance of a decision being made, but the proposals have been recommended for approval.
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