On 25 March, 100 people packed a public meeting at the Hope Centre in Bristol to hear the latest on plans for quarrying in Bristol's historic Ashton Court Estate.
Pioneer Aggregates, owners of Durnford Quarry in the Ashton Court Estate, had submitted a planning application to extend their existing quarry by 35 acres. In the face of mass opposition this application was withdrawn but in July 1996 North Somerset Council granted consent for 20 acres of new quarrying.
This permission was in direct contravention of county planning guidance and also relied upon the questionable translocation of the wildflower meadows. As a result, two Bristol residents applied to the High Court for leave to seek a judicial review of the decision making processes of the Council.
After a two day hearing, Mr Justice Popplewell announced that while he thought there may be some merits in the case he could not allow it go ahead because the applicants did not have 'locus standi' i.e. sufficient standing in the eyes of the law. The meaning of this is shrouded in complicated case law but is often assessed on the basis of property ownership or financial interest. The applicants had neither.
At the meeting and having heard about the damaging implications of the quarry extension from Jon Gething of the Wildlife Trust for Avon and David Lambert of the Avon Gardens Trust, local people decided that the fight to protect Ashton Court had to continue. As a result a new organisation, The Friends of Ashton Court, has been set up and has already attracted massive resources from people living in the nearby suburbs.
Becky Coffin of the environmental youth group 'Generation Earth' spoke of how we borrow the earth from our children as opposed to inheriting it from our ancestors. She said that the festivals that take place on the estate are just one example of how the land brings the different parts of the local community together. We must therefore have a responsibility to look after the land for all the people of Bristol.
Richard Dixon, veteran campaigner from the Whatley quarry in Somerset drew attention to the contradictions in government forecasting of the demand for aggregates. The only solution is a sustainable aggregates policy which reduces demand, increases the level of recycling and thus reduces the need for quarrying on this scale.
The meeting ended with people forming the new Friends of Ashton Court group, demanding the addresses of Councillors who they should lobby and donating resources at unprecedented levels. The anger which the Pioneer and North Somerset planners have stirred up must surely be leaving them wondering what they have unleashed over the next few weeks.
Updated 27 March 1997