Unanimous vote to allow granite quarrying at Chouet

The Development & Planning Authority voted unanimously in favour of the application, while adding four additional conditions to 35 that had already been implemented.

Those included the condition that Roc Salt, the restaurant on the border of the site, would come to an agreement with Ronez as to when exactly blasting could take place, and if Saturdays could be limited to maintenance work only to minimise disruption to the business and people in the surrounding area.

Planners also requested that consideration be given to lowering the machinery on the site to reduce visual and noise impacts, and increase the number of dust receptors in the area.

Nine representations from 12 signatories were given, both in support of and against aspects of the development.

Sara Woolland lives in one of the homes near to the site.

‘I am feeling sad but I was expecting to feel sad,’ she said following the meeting.

‘There are glimmers of hope – we tried to put as many robust measures in as we could. I’m pleased the planning officers listened to what we said. I think they have heavy hearts, but their hands were tied.’

Ronez is looking to complete the first two phases in the first 12 years to produce 1.3m. tonnes of high quality granite, and then potentially another 35-40 years to quarry the rest of the headland.

‘Our responsibility to support the economy is something we take extremely serious,’ said Ronez managing director Mike Osborne.

He outlined the requirement to meet carbon reduction targets, the need to be more self-sufficient as an island, and the high cost of importing aggregate as the alternative solution.

University lecturer Tom Ogier was representing his family in his calls for more stringent mitigation.

‘You don’t have a lot of space in Guernsey, let alone green space, but we are destroying it,’ he said. ‘We are turning Guernsey’s only large green lung into a health hazard.’

While he was expecting the application to go through, he hoped that significant effort would be put in to protect people and the environment.

‘It felt like a forgone conclusion but our ambition was to put in as many mitigating measures as possible,’ said Mr Ogier.

‘This represents a significant threat to public health in one of the island’s only green spaces, by which I mean L’Ancresse Common.’

One DPA member conflicted on issue

ONE member of the DPA did not appear on the panel at the open planning meeting due to a conflict of interest.

Vice-president Deputy Andy Taylor was said to have chosen not to take part as he could not overcome that conflict.

It was not made clear what the conflict was.

The other members of the authority were present – Deputies Bob Murray, Sasha Kazantseva-Miller, John Dyke and committee president Victoria Oliver.