FAQs

Sand and gravel would be extracted from the site. Like all mineral deposits, these can only be extracted where they naturally occur, and extensive drilling has confirmed that the Briggens Estate contains a substantial, high-quality deposit well suited to a range of construction uses. Once extracted, the material is screened and processed on site before being exported of site for use in products such as ready mixed concrete, asphalt and mortar, the essential building blocks of homes, roads and infrastructure.

Sand and gravel quarries are generally much shallower than hard rock quarries and, importantly, no blasting is required to extract the aggregate. They are usually worked and restored in phases as this minimises the area exposed at any time and limits the time that the land is out of use for other productive purposes.

Sand and gravel are commonly extracted by a mobile excavator and transported to a processing plant using either a conveyor or dump truck, where it is washed to remove fine sand and clay (silt). Sand separated during this process is then dried and stockpiled.

The gravel extracted in this process is passed over a series of screens that sift the material into different sizes. The gravels are then placed into separate stockpiles. The plant site is always in proximity to freshwater and silt lagoons that are created as a source of water to wash the sand and to dispose of the silt. The finished aggregate products are then loaded onto trucks for delivery to customers mainly to be used in the manufacture of ready mixed products.

The site is crossed by three public rights of way, including the Harcamlow Way, a long-distance walking route. The working scheme is designed to keep all rights of way accessible throughout operations wherever possible. One bridleway (Hunsdon 002, the Harcamlow Way) would need to be temporarily diverted during the later phases of extraction in the eastern part of the site (phases 8 and 9). This diversion would last an estimated six months, after which the route would be reinstated to its permanent alignment. Any diversion would be no less accommodating than the existing route.

Consistent with the site-specific requirements of the allocation profile for the site, the scheme illustrated on submitted plans also identifies an upfront commitment to establish a maintain a cycle path that will connect the communities in the new Gilston Garden Villages with the existing residential communities and around Stansted Abbots. This proposal is consistent with wider rights of way strategies advanced by the county and district councils and provides a safe means of walking between the two communities.

As part of the restoration scheme, we will be providing an enhanced network of permissive public access routes across the restored landscape, improving east-west connectivity for walkers and bridleway users, as well as maintained the aforementioned cycle path linking Gilston Garden Villages with the existing communities around Stanstead Abbotts.

A minimum stand-off of 100 metres has been applied to all residential development. Other stand-offs include 30 metres from Lords Wood (a designated Local Wildlife Site), 10 metres from other non-designated woodland, and at least 10 metres from the public highway. Specific buffer distances have also been developed in relation to heritage assets, trees and hedgerows amongst other features. These stand-offs will be reviewed as part of the detailed planning application.

A full Transport Assessment will be carried out as part of the Environmental Statement. This will include a review of background traffic data on the surrounding road network, a safety assessment drawing on personal injury accident data, and an assessment of traffic generation from the proposed quarry operations. The assessment will evaluate potential impacts on the local highway network including effects on road safety, congestion, and the amenity of nearby communities. It will use the methodology set out in the Institute of Environmental Assessment's guidelines for assessing road traffic and will consider both HGV movements and the cumulative effects of other developments in the area.

Site access would be from the B181 Roydon Road, and HGVs would be prevented from travelling through Stanstead Abbotts except for local deliveries. As the site is directly adjacent to the A414, it is ideally situated move materials to the market sustainably. Hunsdon Road has been discounted as an access route because it is too narrow and poorly aligned to accommodate the level of HGV activity that would be associated with a development of this size.

As part of the application, we will complete an Environmental Statement, which will address a comprehensive range of topics, including landscape and visual impact, ecology and arboriculture, hydrology and hydrogeology (including flood risk), archaeology and cultural heritage, noise, air quality, transport and access, soils and agricultural land quality, climate change and sustainability, and health impacts. Each discipline will be assessed by specialist consultants using recognised national guidelines and methodologies. A range of baseline surveys are already underway, and the scoping opinion will confirm the full scope and methodology for each topic area. A Habitat Regulations Screening Report will also be prepared to consider potential effects on nearby European designated nature conservation sites.

A Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA) has been undertaken, which found that the site is predominantly of low to moderate ecological value. It consists mainly of arable land with grassland margins, supplemented by areas of lowland mixed deciduous woodland, hedgerows, ponds, and ditches.

The site has the potential to support a range of species including farmland birds, bats, reptiles, amphibians, badgers, water voles, hazel dormice, and invertebrates. We have refined the scheme over time, which means that none of the woodland compartments within the site are now proposed for removal to help protect local biodiversity.

Detailed follow-up surveys are being undertaken for all relevant species groups, and the working scheme will be designed to retain and buffer important trees, hedgerows, and habitats. Restoration of the site will create new habitats including broadleaf woodland, wetland, neutral grassland, and farmland margins, delivering long-term biodiversity benefits.

Lords Wood and Newlands Meadow Local Wildlife Sites are located immediately adjacent to, but outside of, the site boundary. On and around the site, there is potential for protected species including great crested newts, bats, water voles, hazel dormice, reptiles, and various bird species. A full suite of species surveys is being undertaken, and mitigation measures will be developed to manage any impacts.

Great crested newts have been identified as a key species requiring careful management. We would establish a dedicated mitigation and enhancement area to the north of the plant site, specifically designed to accommodate and manage Great Crested Newts as well as other reptile and amphibian species found on site. Any works affecting Great Crested Newts will require a European Protected Species Licence issued by Natural England, and we have engaged with this body to ensure their views are taken into account as part of the preparation of the application. The management of this habitat will be secured through a detailed management plan attached to any planning permission and/or EPSL. Detailed survey work is ongoing to inform the exact scope and design of this mitigation.

Our proposed scheme includes a up front commitment to establish and maintain a new cycle path connecting the communities of Gilston Garden Villages with the existing residential areas around Stanstead Abbotts. This is consistent with the site-specific requirements of the RMLP allocation and wider rights of way strategies promoted by the county and district councils. In addition, the restoration concept proposes an enhanced network of permissive public access routes across the restored landscape, improving east-west connectivity across the site for walkers and bridleway users.