Leeds quarry under investigation over 'potential planning breach' due to size of new facility

Hawksworth Quarry, in the village of Hawksworth near Guiseley, was granted consent to build a filter press, to separate solids and liquids, in December last year.

Under conditions imposed by Leeds City Council when planning permission was given, the press must be small enough to avoid being visible to residents nearby.

But the Hawksworth Quarry Monitoring Group (HQMG), which was set up to monitor activities at the site, claims the facility is now tall enough to be seen from a footpath running into the village from Baildon Moor.

The council has confirmed it is investigating a “potential planning breach” at the quarry, but said it was unable to comment further.

Tensions between quarry owners Whitelock Plant Ltd and the community have been strained for decades, following numerous planning battles.

In December, one local councillor accused the company of having a “cavalier attitude” to the planning system, after it was revealed the quarry had been investigated by the local authority on 15 separate occasions in recent years. Five of those probes resulted in planning breaches being found.

A spokesperson for the HQMG said many residents were feeling “browbeaten” over the long-running dispute.

They said: “A lot of older people in Hawksworth have got planning fatigue. They’ve been bombarded with planning applications for the last 40 years and they can no longer tell the dangerous ones from the ones that aren’t particularly a problem.

“The conditions imposed by the council are only as good as the person who’s adhering to them, or not adhering to them.”

The group said that the filter press was not currently visible from people’s homes, but could be seen from a public footpath that lies to the south of the village’s Methodist Church, on Hawksworth Lane.

The spokesperson added: “Because of the way the land lies, when you’re standing in the valley bottom you can see this thing standing above the skyline, and it’s actually quite a big influence on the landscape.

“We realise it’s a first-world problem, but if the council are going to set conditions then it’s not unreasonable for us to expect them to take enforcement action.”

Hawksworth Quarry has been repeatedly approached for comment, but has not responded.

Labour councillor for Guiseley and Rawdon, Eleanor Thomson, said there’d been a “breakdown of trust” between the villagers and the quarry.

“We need to make sure the quarry sticks to the rules and that there is enforcement where necessary,” Councillor Thomson said.

“They’ve a right to run their business, but it has to be done within the rules.

“I think the residents are tired of them pushing the envelope all the time.”