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The Thornborough Henges

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Henges: Tarmac gives moor pledge


Ripon Gazette - 18/03/05 - Henges: Tarmac gives moor pledge

By Lee Sobot.

A quarry firm has stated that it has no intention to extract sand and gravel
from Thornborough Moor - home of the Thornborough Henges - within the next
ten years.

Tarmac Northern Ltd is currently quarrying nearby Nosterfield Quarry and has
applied to quarry Ladybridge Farm half a mile from the henges next year.

The application has upset archaeological campaigners who say Ladybridge Farm
is part of the henges setting and fear Thornborough Moor may be next on
Tarmac's list.

But on Wednesday Tarmac declared they will "not be seeking Thornborough Moor
to be included for allocation in the forthcoming review of North Yorkshire
County Council's minerals local plan".

The review covers the next ten-year period and is designed to ensure that
the county can meet its supply quota to the local construction industry.

Tarmac Northern company estates manager Rob Moore said the decision was
taken after listening to concerns expressed by local people.

He said "Some had mistakenly believed that the henges were under threat from
the imminent minerals local plan review and believed that this allocation
would be tantamount to permission to extract sand and gravel from beneath
Thornborough Moor.

"We have said time and time again and repeat that the henges, which are
scheduled ancient monuments within a scheduled protection zone, are not
threatened by quarrying.

"We hope that this move will help to allay any fears and confusion that
people may have in relation to our current planning application, remove the
that there is time pressure to conserve the henges and allow time for a full
conservation plan study for the henges."

George Chaplin, chairman of TimeWatch, said the news was "welcomed" but
questioned Tarmac's commitment to staying away from Thornborough Moor long
term.

He said "What we would like is an uncomplicated, unambiguous statement from
Tarmac saying they have no intention ever of quarrying Thornborough Moor,
that should be pretty straightforward."

While John Lowry, chairman of Friends of Thornborough, said Tarmac's
declaration was "reassuring", he added "it is not relevant to the Ladybridge
Farm application which is our main concern, I think it is a bit of a red
herring.

"I suppose it is reassuring but we were never too worried about Thornborough
Moor - the chances of Tarmac being given permission to quarry Thornborough
Moor are pretty remote now that we have raised the profile. They could never
quarry right up to the henges - they are internationally important
recognised monuments."

* Tarmac is holding a public meeting on Wednesday at West Tanfield Memorial
Hall at 7.30pm. The company will provide updated reports on archaeology,
ecology and the proposals for Ladybridge Farm which, they say, have been
substantially revised following feedback from local residents.
Posted by BrigantesNation
19th March 2005ce

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