Residents are being urged to lodge objections to two planning applications aiming to create a quarry which were first lodged with the local authorities 12 years ago.

An application from Aggregate Industries UK Ltd, lodged with Falkirk Council on June 30, 2012 and validated on August 3 of that year, sought permission to restore the landscape of a quarry void at Cowdenhill Quarry, Coneypark Crescent, Banknock.

The proposal, which is listed on the council site as still awaiting a decision, was looking to restore earthworks and upgrade the southern section of the site access road leading to the A803.

At the same time the same firm lodged an application with North Lanarkshire Council looking for permission to extract 350,000 tonnes of hard rock per year from Tomfyne Farm, Banton over a 21-year period.

Back in 2013 residents gathered at the A803 at entrance to Cowdenhill Quarry to protest plans for the proposed Tomfyne Quarry (Picture: Lisa McPhillips, National World)

placeholder image — Back in 2013 residents gathered at the A803 at entrance to Cowdenhill Quarry to protest plans for the proposed Tomfyne Quarry (Picture: Lisa McPhillips, National World)

Four years ago residents from Banknock and the surrounding area voiced concerns over the plans to open the hard rock quarry and now it appears those plans are still ongoing.

One concerned resident stated: “New planning documents have been lodged with North Lanarkshire council concerning the opening of Tomfyne Quarry. There is very little time to get objections in and it will affect everyone in Banknock.

“The potential opening of the quarry is very concerning, especially since we have been quarry free for 10 years now. It was a huge fight to prevent Cowdenhill from

blighting us with a concrete block plant and the horrors that would have brought with it.

"Now the spectre of the Tomfyne quarry raises its ugly head again. We are all very aware of the problems the previous quarry brought the community. The dust should be of great concern to everybody in the area and poses a huge number of potential health issues, particularly for those who already have respiratory problems.”

Another householder added: “The huge numbers of large lorries passing through Banknock should also be of concern, especially with the school so close to the road, the new housing developments that are planned and the fact the road infrastructure is not capable of accommodating that amount of extra traffic.

“The fact they also propose to operate from 7am six 6 days a week, Monday to Saturday, should also worry people.”

Residents who sent letters of objection the last time the plans came before the local authorities are being contacted again, but people are urging other householders to write to North Lanarkshire Council to voice their concerns as well.

Back in 2012 Aggregate Industries stated the majority of the aggregates produced from the Tomfyne Quarry would supply the firm’s existing manufacturing plants in North Lanarkshire and Grangemouth.

It was hoped Tomfyne would be a replacement for Croy Quarry, which closed back in 2016 and would continue to supply “high quality local raw materials” to the manufacturing sites.

According to online planning documents from September this year, there has been a “protracted period of discussions with a number of parties” connected to Tomfyne and Cowdenhill which have only recently been concluded and which led to the long delay in bringing matters to a close on the proposed application all those years before.

Visit the website and search for the planning reference 12/00729/FUL for more information.