‘Quarry plan has taken £500k off house value’
A NEIGHBOUR of the proposed new Chouet quarry fears the value of her property has dropped by £500,000 since plans were put forward.
At least one house nearby is set to be demolished in the plans drawn up by quarry operator Ronez, as it seeks to extract granite from the 53-vergee site over what could be the next 40 years.
Karen Michel, who lives in the house behind Roc Salt restaurant, and also runs a tanning salon, said she did not understand why Ronez had not extended that offer to her.
‘I have a balcony that looks over where the quarry will be, and my house is full of glass which will be filthy,’ said Mrs Michel, who has chronic asthma.
‘The ongoing maintenance will be expensive and it is right next to the blast site. If they wanted my land instead, then fine.’
Ronez said it would always seek to act responsibly and minimise the impact of the development. It has agreed to cover the cost of environmental aspects, including an air conditioning system, as windows would need to be kept closed a lot of the time because of dust.
The headland has been zoned as an area for possible mineral extraction for a number of years, most recently within the 2016 Island Development Plan and previously in Rural Area Plans dating back to the mid-1990s.
The States agreed last autumn to support on-island stone extraction for future aggregate supply.
But Mrs Michel said that living so close to the quarry site has caused a steep decline in the value of her home.
‘I am stuck in this situation. People are telling me not to worry, but that is my pension and they have stolen it from me in order for every household on the island to benefit from cheap granite, and they themselves will make multiple millions. Surely they have a duty of care to put things right for me?’ she said.
‘I don’t have anyone else to support me, I’m lucky I don’t have a mortgage, but if I did I would be in trouble.’
Vale constables have said the parish is broadly supportive of the plans as there would be no more vehicles passing through the area than those currently operating around Mont Cuet landfill and the green waste site.
‘In terms of traffic not increasing – that is nonsense. It will increase significantly. There is going to be a truck passing through every 10 minutes, I don’t work every day, so I can see the traffic already going through here,’ said Mrs Michel.
Ronez has said it will continue to review mitigation measures while the planning application proceeds.
‘Ronez will always seek to act responsibly, minimising the impact of the planned development while ensuring provision of essential building materials for the local economy,’ a spokesman said.
Measures such as landscaping and tree planting will be taken up, as well as action to improve habitats around the quarry.
But regardless of the company’s efforts, Mrs Michel said her house would now be impossible to sell.
‘If I tried to sell it, it would be crazy. I can’t see why they wouldn’t buy me out.’
