'We accept some don't like it' - resident pushback on Marsden Quarry plans

Quarry bosses in South Tyneside have confirmed they are digging in with their bid to extend the life of their operations - to a long-time campaigner’s dismay.

They say they are pushing on with their plan to extend the operational life of Marsden Quarry past a previously agreed end of date 2027.

Their confidence is such that they believe council chiefs will likely grant an extension to 2034 by the autumn at the latest.

O’Brien Aggregate (Marsden) Limited currently has permission to remove limestone from the Coast Road site for another two years, under an approval given in 2005.

Current timescales not ‘safe’

In May last year, it began a process of reassessment of its operations with a view to having that deadline put back to 2032, to give it time to extract remaining material.

The reappraisal would also see it seek approval to complete refilling work as it winds down operations and returns the site to nature, to 2034 – a similar five-year extension.

On March 26, it submitted a planning application to South Tyneside Council, containing its updates dateline proposals.

The firm, which bought the quarry in 2018, says its work was badly affected by the Covid pandemic and that the existing end dates cannot be safely met.

Without the new planning consent and time frame, it claims the land risks becoming a danger zone if abandoned unfinished.

Call for quarrying to be stopped

But grandfather Ronnie Fenwick, 84, whose home in Mill Lane, Marsden, is around 200m from the quarry, criticised O’Brien’s continued plans for the land.

Mr Fenwick, who has lived at his property for around 56 years, said: “It’s time that quarrying was stopped.

“The quarry people just keep coming back for more and more and they almost always seem to get their way.

“I’ve asked the council to stop this many times, but its decisions never seem to go our way.

“A letter containing O’Brien’s new planning application was recently pushed through my letterbox, it contains the same old stuff.

“It says it wants another five years, then it will be another five years after that and so on. That means more dust and noise.

“It’s a huge site and I don’t believe the hole that has been dug there can possibly be filled in within five years. Sadly, I think the plan will get the go-ahead.

“I’m now 84 years old and this is not really my fight now. There are a lot of young people around here and they should get involved.”

The council has requested O’Brien carry out scoping reports, to determine environmental factors involved.

Director Nathan O’Brien previously warned the site could become hazardous to the public if its operations end in 2027 – and has now reiterated the firm’s winding down plans.

Mr O’Brien said: “The new application is for the same proposal. We are happy to engage with people.

“I accept that some people don’t like the quarry, but this new application is just a formal process.

“Permission has not yet been granted but I would hope that will happen in late summer or early autumn.”

O’Brien’s application can be viewed on the council's website, and the public can comment until Sunday, April 26.