Proposals
Thrislington Quarry
Extraction of limestone and sand has taken place in the western part of Thrislington Quarry since the early 1950s and has become a major supplier of construction aggregate to Northeast England and Midland regions. Other operations at Thrislington Quarry include a ready-mixed concrete plant, aggregate recycling operations, and an aggregate bagging plant which is currently closed.
The quarry has planning consent until January 2030, this covers all remaining limestone but a section of sand was not included in the last application. Tarmac are now bringing this application forward to continue the extraction of all remaining valuable sand.
In addition to this, Tarmac is seeking permission to:
- Allow the importation of fine-grade limestone from Cornforth Quarry to produce a blend of limestone and sand called ‘midas’ sand which is important for high-end construction uses.
- Consolidate other ancillary planning permissions to align with the exhaustion of sand reserves.
- Provide a clean water pond to the south of the quarry as part of the wider water management strategy.
The remaining block of sand is located wholly within the existing excavation area. There will be no change to the site boundary or wider extraction limit, therefore no additional land will be disturbed.
Extraction of Sand
The sand at Thrislington Quarry underlies a deposit of limestone which has now all been removed. The sand is either removed by excavator or in places, where the seam is harder, it is drilled and generally blasted. It is then transported by dump truck to the plant which consists of a mobile screen and a washing plant.
Extraction is limited to the area shown below and will be worked from the most southerly point (phase 2) in a northerly direction over a period of 20 years.
A Special Kind of Sand
The sand found beneath the limestone at Thrislington Quarry is known as Basal Permian sand, which was laid down during the Permian period, nearly 300 million years ago. The sand is geologically distinctive due to its very uniform shape and particle size. This and its consistency makes it a very important and useful asphalt for road surfacing and building sand for mortars.
Additionally, a special product is produced by blending the Permian sand with the fine-grade limestone to make a high quality sand with important construction qualities such as self-levelling concrete.
