SANDSTORM DUE TO ARRIVE IN EUXTON

One of the newest members of Euxton Parish Council, Simon Newell, has joined the fight against the quarry, following a recent visit to York, where he saw for himself the effects of sand and dust on the local environment. The photos taken by Simon show sand blowing from a site adjacent to the M1, creating a dust cloud in the road.

Simon says: "As one of the newest Parish Council members, I have only just joined the fight against the proposed sand quarry in Euxton. After examining the application in more detail I have come to realise the implications for the community as a whole of having a site of this size on our doorstep. There will be serious repercussions for many years to come.“

“All the evidence provided to support the health, environmental and traffic arguments against the site speaks for itself. And now, anyone looking at these photographs cannot fail to realise that the concerns about this quarry application are very real.”

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"Driving though this dust cloud has given me determination to ensure that every local resident in understands how the site will affect them. This is not just an issue affecting Euxton residents. Everyone living in Chorley needs to realise how it is going to affect their quality of life before it is too late.”

“The Council and the ERASE Committee should be commended for their efforts so far to block this application, but the fight is unfortunately not over yet. Tarmac has lodged an appeal, which means we are now entering the final, but hardest and most expensive stage of the battle. We will need to fight our corner with legal specialists, and the Parish Council has no other choice than to support these efforts financially, with funds which should rightly be spent improving community facilities, not fighting off grotesque developments like the quarry."

The community can help to fight this menace in a number of ways:

- Placing the ‘Erase the quarry’ poster in prominent positions in your windows – when the planning authorities visit the site we need them to recognise that the entire community is against this application. (Euxton residents will receive a newsletter and poster within the next few days, or it can be downloaded from our website www.euxtoncouncil.org.uk )

- Volunteering to help with fundraising. We need help collecting funds for legal fees.

- Making a financial donation. Any donations, however small will be gratefully received. Please see www.euxtoncouncil.org.uk to find out how to contribute

Other quotes received.

Borough Councillor Peter Goldsworthy who represents Euxton South ward added:

“The people of Euxton are right to voice their concerns on the proposal to quarry sand so close to the village. Euxton is home to 7000 people and contains 3 schools. Health, traffic congestion and loss of amenity over a period of 15 years are the major concerns. Tarmac have failed to satisfy any of us that their proposal to start quarrying, will address these genuine issues. Therefore this proposal must be rejected and the quarry must not go ahead"

Mark Perks, County Councillor for Chorley Rural North added:

“The issue of particulates, be they PM10's from sand and silt or PM2.5 vehicle emissions, are a real concern for residents living in Euxton. The pictures taken clearly show how sand and dust is easily carried by the wind. Exactly the same would happen in Euxton. The village would be constantly covered by the sand blown over the M6. These particulates would impact on the health of local people for generations - respiratory illnesses are already too high. How on earth Tarmac can claim that their measures would prevent this from happening are beyond belief and not credible."