4 March 2008
We received a petition asking:
"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Stop quarrying damaging the Peak District National Park."
Details of Petition:
"Longstone Edge is a beautiful three-mile-long ancient limestone hill, prominently situated within sight of Chatsworth House, just to the north of Bakewell in the Peak District National Park, which is threatened by an enormous quarry at its eastern end. A massive scar will be made in the heart of unspoilt scenery in the second most-visited National Park in the world. Permanent damage is being caused by large-scale limestone aggregate removal from areas of Longstone Edge, situated in the centre of the Peak District National Park. Companies are exploiting ancient 1952 permissions to operate a primarily limestone extraction with no obligations for restoration of the damage caused. This is in direct contravention of the spirit of all National Parks which exist to protect areas of great natural beauty, and threatened species and habitats. This must not be allowed to happen."
Read the Government’s response
The Government is fully committed to the care and protection of the landscapes and biodiversity of our National Parks. In performing their functions, National Park and other authorities must have regard to the statutory purposes of the National Parks. These include the conservation and enhancement of the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the Parks. The Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 places a duty on all public bodies to have regard to the purpose of conserving biodiversity.
However, we cannot escape the fact that minerals, which are essential to the economy, can only be worked where they naturally occur. Often that is in the most scenic areas of the country, including the National Parks.
The extent of limestone extraction at the eastern end of Longstone Edge under a planning permission granted in 1952 has been the subject of enforcement and stop notices issued by the Peak District National Park Authority, the mineral planning authority for the area.
The Peak District National Park Authority has responsibility for deciding whether the 1952 permission should be revoked to stop mineral extraction permanently.
Decisions about revocation of mineral permissions must be made on the basis of all the relevant planning issues, including consideration of the impact of the mining and the contribution the many mineral sites in our National Parks make to our national mineral supply. The authority would also need to consider the financial consequences of any revocation. Compensation would be payable for lost mineral production. This can be very substantial.