Gravel extraction plans unveiled at Gateway Centre
Public exhibition on Wednesday May 20th
The Co-operative Group is holding a public exhibition at the Cotswold Water Park Gateway Centre, South Cerney, on Wednesday, May 20 between 11am and 8pm to show plans for the next phase of gravel extraction to take place near Down Ampney, and to obtain feedback from locals and residents. The Co-op owns a large patch of land next the A419 known as the Down Ampney Estate, and has been extracting sand and gravel from the 253-hectare site, which is to the east of Latton village, since 1996 and the plans represent the second phase of the development.
Quarry company Hanson Aggregates has been chosen to undertake the work.
The majority of the site will be returned to a mix of open water, reed beds and agricultural grassland, with smaller areas of wildflower grassland and wet woodland.
It will be several years until the extraction work begins and Hanson?s land and mineral resources manager Paul Williams said: "The restoration plans will aim to increase habitat diversity. There will be no large tracts of open water. The Co-operative Group and Hanson have already carried out pre-application consultation with a number of bodies including English Heritage, RSPB and the Environment Agency. The public exhibition will allow us to explain the proposals in detail to local residents and outline the measures we will be taking to minimise the impact."
Rob Ellis of the Co-operative added: "The Co-operative has had a long relationship with the area and we are committed to working with local communities. That is why we want to understand their views before submitting the planning application."
