Leaders raise objections to controversial plans for quarry off A12 at Brockley Wood, near Ipswich

Leaders continue to oppose controversial plans to build a quarry off the A12 outside Ipswich after a legal battle earlier this year.

Babergh District Council believes issues regarding an extraction site at Brockley Wood, near Belstead, which led to the challenge, were being repeated.

In September 2022, Brockley Wood Ventures Ltd lodged an application to build a quarry on an 88 acre site just off the A12.

In addition, new access from the A12, a workshop building and a parking area were proposed.

The Royal Court of Justice rejected approval for the site in August after parish councils and residents brought a legal claim. It was originally green-lit in March.

It is expected that the quarry would be in use for about 15 years.

Steven Stroud, from Babergh District Council, said the applicant had not properly addressed the concerns that led to the legal battle.

He felt that, rather than addressing the impacts the development would have, the firm was ‘determined to attack the status of that landscape’.

In addition, proposals to create a new conservation area around Bentley were in the pipeline and an appraisal is set to go before the district council next month.

He added: “Babergh District Council objects to this application because the additional submission has not properly addressed the issues which gave rise to the previous, successful ground of legal challenge.

“Furthermore, it should be noted that the future determination of the application must have regard to any new material considerations that have arisen.

“It is quite foreseeable that this will include a proposal to designate a new conservation area in Bentley, the northern extent of that area being in proximity to the application site. This ought to be taken into account in those circumstances.”

In one objection, Copdock and Washbrook Parish Council felt the quarry would have a significant impact on the local countryside and wildlife.

Concerns over carbon emissions were raised due to an expected 358 vehicles passing through the area per day.

In its most recent objection, the joint authority also questioned the amount of material that would be extracted, describing it as ‘overstated’.

The developers were slammed for not seeking more sustainable alternatives.

The parish council described current plans as ‘woefully inadequate’, raising concerns over villages being used as rat-runs due to heavy congestion on the A12 or A14.

Data from April 2024, show 52,000 vehicles per week using Old London Road – a 67 per cent increase on 2022.

The authority felt the volume of lorries going to and from the site would only make things worse.

The council said: “The whole thrust of this proposal is to reduce traffic along London Road and create a safer and more pleasant environment for cyclists and pedestrians. How can giving upward of an additional 170+ HGVs a day unfettered access to this narrowing road possibly be consistent with such an objective?

The council feared a lack of accountability and enforcement would lead to motorists being ‘completely free’ to skip major routes for a faster route through villages.

It urged Suffolk County Council to consider this before coming to a decision.

The council added: “It is our view that as nothing has changed from the original application. All four grounds of the judicial review claim, which led to [Suffolk County Council’s] admission of unlawful determination, remain valid.

“This application must be refused.”

Bentley Parish Council was concerned over the potential number of HGVs travelling through its village – with emphasis placed on the inadequacy of its roads for such traffic.

Marianne Munday, from the council, felt it would also breach the Quiet Lanes Suffolk scheme.

Ms Munday said: “It is just not good enough to expect residents to ‘police’ their village roads for contraventions which is the expectation of the current Lorry Route Management Plan.

“What is needed, if this application is approved, is a weight restriction on these roads, with the cost of implementation being met by the applicant.”