A Plympton councillor estimates that up to 90 extra heavy goods vehicles could be travelling through Plympton each week after Devon County Council’s Development Management Committee approved an application by Tungsten West to lift the current 4,000 tonnes per week cap on secondary aggregates being removed from their site at Hemerdon Mine.
At their meeting in December councillors on the Devon County Council committee voted by five votes to three to approve Tungsten West’s application despite receiving 350 objections to the application. The meeting heard that nearly all those objections came from Plympton residents. The objections largely centred around road congestion, air pollution and two primary schools being situated close to the route to be taken by the lorries as they connected to the A38.
There were also detailed objections from Plymouth City Council and Sparkwell Parish Council. Shaugh Prior Parish Council set out various issues it wanted addressed, subject to which it was content with the proposal, and there was no response from Cornwood Parish Council.
County Councillors seemed to be swayed to approve the application by what one of them described as ‘a massive package of improvements to the highways network which will be really valuable to the communities as a whole’ and that these road improvements voluntarily agreed to by Tungsten West meant ‘Christmas has come early for the highways department.’
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The improvements in the main involve a 120 metre widening of the rural B3417 near the mine, the provision of signage and lines, a speed limit and traffic calming and a contribution towards the cost of a speed camera. All these improvements are in the South Hams part of the road network.
Councillors were less persuaded by Plympton residents’ concerns about Strode Road, noting it had been recently resurfaced in part and that there had been no objection from highways about any capacity issues of the highways network.
The meeting seemed confused as to whether the application, if approved, would lead to extra vehicle movements as the existing cap of 50 vehicles per day would still remain, it was just the overall tonnage limit on aggregates which was being removed.
A representative from Tungsten West in his three minute submission to the meeting claimed the application ‘doesn’t increase vehicle movements beyond that currently allowed. It just allows them to be filled to their maximum capacity.’
Later in the meeting however councillors seemed to reach the conclusion that there would be some extra vehicle movements as there were currently occasions when the full 50 movements per day did not occur.
This point was then further clarified by a council officer who said if there were to be no extra vehicle movements then there would have been no basis on which to negotiate the programme of highways improvements Tungsten West had agreed to fund.
There will however be a prohibition on vehicle movements on bank holidays, at weekends and any period outside 7am to 5pm weekdays. Currently there is no 7am to 5pm restriction. At the request of Shaugh Prior Parish Council there will also be a prohibition on lorries turning right onto the B3417 out of the mine entrance.
Chaddlewood’s two Green councillors were the only Plympton Councillors to attend the Devon County Council meeting where they spoke to voice objections to the application.
Cllr Lauren McLay’s points included issues relating to air quality and called for pollution arising from tyre wear to be investigated. She also felt the joint local plan should be adhered to – which includes a provision to avoid mine activities impacting on the urban road network through Plympton.
Cllr Ian Poyser echoed his colleague’s concerns and pointed out that according to his calculations the application, if approved, could result in 90 more heavy goods vehicles per week using Plympton’s urban road network.
Cllrs Beer, Darcy, Harrison and Nicholson submitted detailed written objections to the application. There was no mention of any contribution from Cllr Loveridge.
The application was also opposed by South West Devon MP Sir Gary Streeter MP and the Plympton St Mary Neighbourhood Forum.
Of the overall vehicle movements now to happen at the site, the largest 44 tonne articulated lorries will be restricted to be 10% of the overall vehicle types taking aggregates from the site.
(Story courtesy of the Plympton Podcast)
