Minerals Local Plan Issues and Options consultation

Yes. Reference is made to the extraction of gypsum. Gotham was a gypsum mining village and while it holds no strategic importance for gypsum mining now, some works remain here and in nearby East Leake and British Gypsum are still a local employer, though not of course at the levels of when the village mines were active. It is important however to learn from the legacy. Several of the old works sites have been allowed to return to a wild state and have been classified as green field rather than brown field. Furthermore with the presence of gypsum spoil the soil quality is poor which has encouraged the growth of local flora that is not choked by the invasive species that would flourish in rich soil. This has led to some of these old works sites as being registered as SSSI, and others recognised by agencies such as the Nottinghamshire Grassland and the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust for preservation. This is a double edged sword in that while it preserves interesting and valuable flora it has removed what are ugly and well situated housing development sites from consideration by the planning authority. This puts further pressure on less well situated and otherwise valuable green field sites to be developed instead.

Yes, however as with all such 'visions' there are difficult balances to be struck throughout. We would like to see Neighbourhood Plans incorporated in your Local Policy.

No. The supply and demand of aggregates must be carefully and transparently assessed. Also the impact on local communities must be strengthened and sustainable modes of transport used where possible.

No. The figures do not include the contribution from there nearby counties, you cannot look at Nottinghamshire alone. Further work needs to be done on this. The same methodology applies to other aggregates.

Yes. Infrastructure will already be in place and environmental assessments made and understood. They will be able to maintain the existing workforce and works.

Minimising the transport distances involved is important but it must be clearly assessed. Having a quarry next door to a development would clearly help that particular development but you have got know how much of the output is involved. It is firstly disappointing that reference is made to a potential quarry at Barton in Fabis given the opening comments that states should not be considered at this stage. However we would suggest that the output of a quarry at Barton in Fabis would far exceed the requirement in the immediate vicinity.

No. The criteria for appropriate objective assessment have been specified above.

Yes. The current concerns over the environmental impact of HGV transport make this a priority.

As stated earlier Gotham has links with Gypsum mining. We believe the plan should not identify specific sites at this stage but await future criteria. British Gypsum (Saint Gobain) is a local employer and has a good relationship with the community.

No. We consider the list to be too vague. Noise, air quality and dust are not mentioned.