Minerals Local Plan Issues and Options consultation

I am chair of the Burton Joyce Village Plan Committee, which is monitoring the progress of the Village Plan published in 2011 and adopted by the Burton Joyce Parish Council, Gedling Borough Council and the County Council.

The Village Plan Committee fully endorses and supports the comments and observations made by the Burton Joyce Village Society, which were submitted on 11th January.

In particular we would point out that, in the survey conducted before publication of the Village Plan, the most appreciated feature (mentioned by 93.5% of residents) of living in Burton Joyce was its rural environment. The Green Belt around the village is highly valued and in particular the unspoilt meadow landscape along the banks of the River Trent, used extensively by walkers, joggers and visitors to the area. This environment would be permanently destroyed if gravel extraction were to be permitted on the Shelford side of the river, one of the sites being considered for release in the Minerals Plan. Gravel extraction will not only cause visual disturbance to the riverside area, it will create noise and dust very close to residential properties abutting the Nottingham‐to‐Lincoln railway line.

Whilst the riverside area is highly valued as an environmental asset, it is also a source of concern due to increased flood risk caused by climate change ‐ gravel extraction at Shelford will only exacerbate this risk further.

Another concern of residents, expressed in the Village Plan is the amount of heavy goods traffic passing through the village on the A612 ‐ this will only be worsened if the Shelford site is released.

We would therefore implore the County Council to exclude the Shelford site from the Minerals Local Plan.


Yours sincerely

Chris Helmore