Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Cllr Roz Smith, substituted by Cllr Gareth Epps.

There were none.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 13 October 2025 and to receive information arising from them.

The minutes of the meeting held on 13 October 2025 were approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

Members of the public who wish to speak on an item on the agenda at this meeting, or present a petition, can attend the meeting in person or ‘virtually’ through an online connection.

Requests to present a petition must be submitted no later than 9am ten working days before the meeting.

Requests to speak must be submitted no later than 9am three working days before the meeting.

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If you are speaking ‘virtually’, you may submit a written statement of your presentation to ensure that if the technology fails, then your views can still be taken into account. A written copy of your statement can be provided no later than 9am on the day of the meeting. Written submissions should be no longer than 1 A4 sheet.

Three requests to address the Committee had been received from:

-        Cllr Chris Brant (Elected Member for Cropredy and Hook Norton)

-        Parish Cllr Harvey Marcovitch (Wroxton PC)

-        Gemma Crossley (Applicant’s Agent)

They would be heard, and Members could ask questions if they had any after the officer presentation.

Report by Planning Development Manager

Extraction of mineral, importation of inert restoration material, revised restoration scheme, aggregate recycling facility and other ancillary development at the existing Wroxton Fields Quarry

It is RECOMMENDED that subject to a S.106 legal agreement to cover the matters in Annex 2, planning permission for MW.0063/24 be approved subject to conditions to be determined by the Planning Development Manager, to include those set out in Annex 1.

The Chair introduced the item to the meeting.

The Minerals and Waste Planning Consultant introduced the application, which was about the extraction of mineral, importation of inert restoration material, revised restoration scheme, aggregate recycling facility and other ancillary development at the existing Wroxton Fields Quarry.

Officers provided a few brief updates to the report, outlined below:

-       Elements of retrospective development, including extraction of minerals in the existing phases 5 and 6, and the implementation of a temporary staff car park.

-       In paragraph 156, the landscape officer commented about concerns that bunding would likely not be effective in mitigating views from the road but could be mitigated by not excavating the southern part of phase 2b or to reduce the timeframe of excavation. The Applicant provided further clarification that the historic extraction was split into 3 sections separated by hedgerow. Further extraction from phase 2b would not take place in the southern-most section, minimising the impact views from outside of the site.

Officers stated that Horton Quarry had been worked out and that Alkerton Quarry had reached the end of its productive life.

The main elements of the application was to extract 410,000 tonnes of iron stone from phase 6c and 340,000 tonnes of mineral from phase 2b. The processing of minerals was proposed to continue to take place in phase 4 of the development.

Photos and maps were shown of the site, including the current and proposed areas of extraction; the site entrance and the processing plant area. The application seeks 150,000 tonnes to be processed through the site per annum and permission would exist until 2042.

There were no outstanding objections from technical consultees, but there were from the local County Councillor and Wroxton Parish Council. Liaison meetings are held with the Quarry, local stakeholders and local councillors.

Councillor Chris Brant (Cropredy and Hook Norton) addressed the Committee as the local Member and thanked the applicant for a recent site visit. He highlighted the impact of the application on the village of Wroxton, which if agreed, would be 100m from the nearest dwelling. He also noted the public health concerns caused by dust from the site on the primary school children and urged the Committee to refuse planning permission, noting that the applicant should come back with a revised proposal without the area closest to the school.

Members asked the speaker several questions, relating to potential conditions if the application was approved and regarding the accessibility of the rights of way within the site and interactions with the local liaison group. Councillor Brant noted his main concerns were the distance of the quarry from the village and any conditions should reflect a further distance from the site. Regarding the rights of way, it was noted that the site does a good job of managing that situation through diversions, but that the local liaison group did not regularly meet for a couple of years and issues raised at that group included traffic, lorry access and speeding.

Parish Councillor  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19/24