‘Using Chouet is better than island importing stone’
ENVIRONMENTAL impacts will be caused by the use of quarried stone, regardless of whether it is extracted locally or overseas.
That is the message from Environment & Infrastructure president Lindsay De Sausmarez, after her committee voted to propose digging a new quarry at Chouet headland, rather than switching to importing stone.
Currently the majority of the aggregate required by the construction industry is derived from rock blasted at Les Vardes Quarry in St Sampson’s. However, it is now anticipated that the easily accessible stone will have been extracted by the summer of 2023. More can be quarried after this time but not at a sufficient rate to meet demand.
E&I will present States members with a binary choice between opening up a new hole at Chouet, which would be expected to supply Guernsey’s needs for about 35 years, or ceasing local extraction altogether and bringing the aggregate in from overseas.
The report to be debated – probably at the States’ September meeting – makes clear that local extraction is the cheaper option. When it comes to environmental considerations, however, the picture is far more complex.
‘There are a lot of factors to take into account,’ Deputy De Sausmarez said.
‘It’s not an easy decision but I would very much hope and expect that the assembly would understand the need for a decision on this.
‘We all recognise that mining stone in Guernsey will have an environmental impact and we will see the effects of it with our own eyes. However, our consciences cannot be clear if we move to importation. Wherever that aggregate is being mined, there will be an environmental impact and in some jurisdictions there are fewer limitations on the damage that might be done. We have a moral obligation to take into account the impact of our activities and consumption on the global environment.’
In addition to concerns about shifting environmental impact overseas – or ‘offshoring’ – the report also highlights the additional carbon footprint that would be generated by importing the stone, which would require transport by truck at each end and shipping, as well as the construction of suitable port facilities.
Deputy De Sausmarez estimated that the carbon footprint from importation would be four times that of local extraction.
The report also stipulates a requirement for measures to be taken to mitigate the local impact, via what is known as Biodiversity Net Gain, whereby the effects on the Chouet site are compensated for with enhancements in the immediate area.
