Wienerberger looking to extend Mouselow Quarry

Company to submit planning application for extension to operational area in early summer 2018

WIENERBERGER Ltd intend to submit a planning application to Derbyshire County Council, requesting permission to extend their existing Mouselow Quarry, which is located 1.5km north-west of Glossop, in the High Peak District of Derbyshire.

The proposed extension amounts to 1.52ha to the immediate west of the existing quarry. The extension contains 470,000 cubic metres (850,000 tonnes) of high-quality shale suitable for brick manufacture at Wienerberger’s Denton brickworks, some 12km away.

If successful, the planning application will help secure six jobs at the quarry and 52 jobs at the Denton brick factory for the next 23 years.

Despite requesting an extension to the permitted operational area, Wienerberger say the planning application would reduce the total amount of material extracted by 130,000 cubic metres, because the company intends to leave 600,000 cubic metres of Lower Shales in place.

A new restoration scheme will also be proposed in the planning application, because leaving the Lower Shales in place results in a shallower completion depth for the quarry. The new restoration scheme will feature agricultural grassland and woodland, together with a variety of nature conservation habitats.

Quarrying has taken place at the Mouselow site since at least 1840, with the most recent planning permission granted by Derbyshire County Council in 2014. The existing permission allows for the extraction of shale and sandstone until 2042, and the proposed end date will not change.

The planning application is due to be submitted early summer 2018 and will be supported by a full environmental impact assessment (EIA).