Features

What do you think of the plans to extract gravel from sites across the south?

old netley resident
Just read all the comments listed on this site,And for those people in the proposed sites my heart goes out to them.I lived next to a site in the hamble area when it was in full swing and I can tell you its a nightmare.Our house was unsaleable,constant smell not only from the landfill but also from the perfume spayers that masked the smells,lorry movments,road sweeping lorrys, rubbish in the roads,seagulls,rats,etc,etcThis is all down to money first not people.Do people that live in hamble really think that its going to be a quick venture dig out the gravel then infill,Get real its 20years shear misery.Once it starts and it "will"after 20 years you think its near to completion all the ammendment start(extensions to the sites life span) then its another 10years.I have taken 12 years of photos and videos of an active landfill site in the hamble area(anyone interested) GOD HELP YOU

Trevor Burt
I work within the agrregates industry and live within a beautiful rural area on the Witshire Dorset border, so I can fully understand and appreciate the need for aggregates and the desire to preserve the countryside, particularly if its close to your home. However, the residents of south Hampshire must also understand that there is strong demand for aggregates within their county to build their houses, schools and hospitals and that it is only fair that Hampshire should provide the largest proportion of its aggregates demand rather than expecting other counties such as Somerset to provide and satisfy its needs. Please also consider the people in Somerset who may also live in areas of outstanding natural beauty.

billy the hamster
go on dig it up and destroy all humans!!!!!!!!!!!!muhahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Andrew
Why destroy the beautiful countryside?

Boris Webber
I feel it's deplorable that we are consistantly ruining special areas of our countryside. It's our responsibilty to ensure future generations have the same opportunities we have to see nature and wild life as nature intended.

Philip Allen
We live at Cherque Farm, Lee on the Solent and therefore find ourselves surrounded by gravel extraction threats. The redevelopement of the Daedalus site (literally on our doorstop) includes such proposals and our favourite walking area, the Meon shore at Chilling is also under threat. Ironically,. on our Western border, the Alver Valley is at last being landscaped after decades of gravel extraction and the upheaval it brings..

MARTIN
This is an area of outstanding natural beauty, few and far between in Hampshire.Leave it alone and look at other possible areas for this project that wouldn't have a logistical/economical nightmare for the local villagers.

Chump
what is in it for us probley nothing but then no one thinks of us and no matter what you do it will happen anyway if they want it to makes me sick

Ros Phillips
If gravel is to be extracted from Hamble Airfield and in my experience no amount of representations will stop the project, all aggregate MUST be transported from site by a new rail system parallel to the existing railway to a processing site .This should be sited by the M27 and not in Hamble or Warsash.

malcolmfrancis
If we need aggragate locally & we have the sites to produce it then it should happen, otherwise it will have to be transported in, thus increasing the carbon footprint

Jayne
Absolutely disgusted, walk the area on a regular basis and it would totally destroy an area of natural beauty with so many types of wildlife to see. Can you imagine what the continual stream of heavy goods vehicles would do to the roads etc, has any real thought been given to this proposal at all or is this the council/government at its 'best' yet again?

Phil Reynolds
The Meon shore at Chilling is one one the main reasons I bought my house in Titchfield. I use it regularly for walking and cycling and it would be very sad to see it ruined in such a manner.

Sam F
I live opposite the proposed chilling and bromwich site and am outraged that these councillers didn't even notify me or any other resident about their plans. The first we herd was by a small leaflet by camel a week before the deadline for objections. What was the council going to do??? Turn up one day and start digging? This area is a SSSI and if dug out, will also leave the homes nearby with poor drainage and a high risk of flooding. Also, they keep saying that they will 'restore' it after the 25 years... this would take probably 5-10 years to be 'restored' so we are looking at 35 years, almost a lifetime for many, before we get it back.KEEP BROMWICH AND CHILLING NATURAL!!!

Lucy Brown
I am a regular user of Chilling and Bromwich for running, biking and dog walking. This is one of the last pieces of untouched coast between Southampton and Portsmouth. It is a very beautiful stretch of coastline with an abundance of wildlife, badgers, foxes, deer, kites, owls etc who cannot be asked to temporarily move home !There is ancient woodland which cannot be replaced. ( In response to those comments that it would be a temporary inconvenience ). The damage would be irreversableThe road infrastructure is also wholey inadequate. There is a single road that runs down to the Caravan Park which is more like a private road, it is not designed either in layout or quality for regular heavy artics to use.

Cllr Anna Wyse
Netley and Hamble are simply not suitable sites because of the housing density and existing traffic problems in the area. I simply didn't believe that this could be proposed in a conservation area and immediately adjacent to the area's main school.However, we must all take responsibility for utilising more recycled agregates.Hampshire should actively promote this, and people may be more accepting of an aggregate recycling plant on the proposed sites. Hampshire CC could do a lot more to promote and publicise the use of recycled aggregates to its residents and within its own operations. IT would also reduce materials going to Hampshire's landfill sites.We all understand that we cannot go on using resources unsustainable, and this must extend to aggregates. Hampshire CC should take a lead in this.

Allen Clarke
We cannot keep digging up the land and spoiling habitats like this. We should recycle more and take more from the Sea Bed, particularly in the Spithead. It may even make it passable to shipping. Blanket quotas without consideration just can't be right.

Jeanette Bower
I strongly object to the proposed gravel extraction plan at Chilling and Brownwich.The area is one of outstanding natural beauty and I feel that this would be destroyed if the plan goes ahead. The destruction of local walks, bridleways, cycle paths and of course the danger to wildlife.As my husband and I are retired we use this area on a regular basis on our bicycles in an attempt to keep fit. We therefore do not pollute the environment but with this proposal pollution would be paramount. Noise and dust to name 2. The continuous movement of lorries on our roads would be unbearable. At present when there is a problem on the motorway the surrounding areas of Locks Heath, Park Gate, Sarisbury Green etc become “grid locked” with this proposal things would only get worse.

Mrs Sara Read
I understand the need for materials but aren't we trying to protect our coastline and ancient woodlands, for the future of britain? There is only a small amount of utouched coast line on the south and this is an area of outstanding natural beauty, not to mention crammed with wildlife that to be honest will have no where to go.I live in Titchfield common and understand the frustration of Hamble residents but the old airfield isn't a beauty spot and it has rail links to take the gravel away. In Warsash they will have to make new access roads and there is already pressure on local roads, not to mention the enlarging of tgi roundabout to withstand existing traffic.

Alan Morley
We should not deprive our children of the countryside and wildlife that my wife enjoy every weekend. We walk here regularly and dread the time when our only option is to pace the streets of "Solent City".

Colin Watts
Why dont they advertise themselves as Lake builders or flood avoidance diversion pit manufacturers?

Alan Cartwright
The Hampshire County Council plan includes destruction of many sites of particular beauty - yet Government guidelines prevent the County Council from allowing a greater proportion of aggregates to be sourced from sustainable marine locations - at a time when regional ports have millions of tonnes of aggregates freely available from their necessary dredging programmes. It is complete madness to destroy shore environment when the alternative marine-sourced aggregates are available. The County Council should bring pressure to bear on central government's illogical thinking and ALL PARTIES should work for the protection - not the destruction, of our environment.

Vivien East
I live in Hordle, right on the edge of the New Forest National Park and close to Lymington. We also are fighting plans for gravel extraction on the edge of our village!Apart from the issues of spoiling the landscape; there are huge issues about the noise from the lorries; the dust and noise carried into the village by the westerley winds; and the increase in lorry traffic in a rural environment whose infrastructure is already under pressure from current traffic levels.The south coast is already overpopulated, overtaxed, it's infrastructure is creaking at the seams (how many politicians have driven along the M27 and M3 in the morning rush hour) - and now the government is insisting that not only should there be 80,000 more homes built in the next 20 years... but that what little land we have left is excavated causing noise, dust and aggrivation to it's extortionately highly taxed communities.Surely, a peaceful and quiet life in this fast moving hum drum world should be a high priority for our councils and government!!

Bob Pitman
The Chilling - Brownwich - Meon Shore - Warsash area is a great local resource. Its a popular area for walkers of all ages and its gorgeous countryside. Friends from Wiltshire thought we were so lucky to have such a treasure of fields, sea, and wooded areas in easy reach. Its thoughtfully laiad out with footpaths and it is a great area for getting away from the fairly densely housed Locksheath/Warsash area.Why anyone could even consider such a local resource for digging up and destroying is beyond me. if no-one used it fine, but there are always a good number of families and couples walking the area at weekends, it is a wonderful arrea for getting away from the world. Put in extraction machinery and load the local roads with gravel movers and the area is lost forever.Perhaps some of our Hampshire politicians should grow some balls and take a stand against edicts from Whitehall.I don't think Hamble will want the quarry either, but at least they have decent roads and what looks like an unused area to destroy.I for one would vote against any politician (of any party) who fails to get this development thrown out - and I hope that more people will join in by throwing out the current crop of local and County politicians if they fail us now.

Ali Sainsbury
Chilling and Brownwich has the only undeveloped cliff/coastal area between Portsmouth and Southampton. It contains part of the Solent way footpath and ancient woodland. Keep it natural

Trevor Poole
I work in the industry, there is no real alternative to local sand & gravel extraction except to stop building anything. Local extraction of sand and gravel is preferenial to hauling material long distances (better carbon footprint and overall less disturbance), the pits can be well restored nowadays to a range of afteruses that may or not be "as before" and locals should embrace the opportunity that gravel extraction gives to mould the landcape whilst borrowing the land for a relatiely short period.We are fast becoming a nation that looks for reasons to stop local industry rather than has "can do" attitude - no wonder our industries and jobs are being slowly transferred to China!

Theresa Powell
I understand the need for building materials, but in light of the government's building targets for the south, we are already suffering from increased congestion and pollution. The plan to use the only unspoilt coastline between Portsmouth and Southampton and desicrate it for gravel extraction is criminal.we will lose our recreational facility for riding, walking and cycling, not to mention the traffic impact. I cannot comprehend how the council can even consider it. I also feel the covert way this has been handled up to now, with no notification of local residents is appalling.

Pete Smulovic
When Hayling Isalnd had its defences improved it was done by dredging. To get the new aircraft carriers into Portsmouth a huge amount has to be dredged out of the solent, what are they going do with it? Dump it further out to sea?

Joy Rogers
I am astonished that the council can even think of earmarking this site which is the most outstanding area of unspoilt natural beauty adn wildlife habitat on this coast

Alan Haikney
Gravel can be extracted from the sea at a fraction of the cost with no disruption to families in the south.One dredger can extract 5000tons/hr and deposit it on shore. The 1,000,000 tons at Warsash could be estracted from the sea in 20 days without anyone being inconvenienced.

Adrian Bowden
I find this story quite incredible.The entrance to Christchurch Harbour through the Mudeford Run is choked with high grade gravel and aggregate that is washed up there every year. It is readily accessible for dredging and would do us all a favour by keeping the entrance to the Mudeford Run clear for the boating faternity, Please, please come and get it !!!

Mark Salkeld
The plans are disgraceful. Some of the sites are within 100m of housing, and the dust created will cause health problems, especially for asthma sufferers. If we really must extract more gravel then the sites should be chosen well away from residential areas.

Tina Walker
It is sad that 15 years ago the Chilling/Brownwich site was thought to be sufficiently ecologically sensitive to be omitted from the plans, yet now SSI's, ancient woodlands, endangered species are all forfeit because of convenience. Hampshire County Council should be ashamed!

Francis Smith
The Western wards area has been developed beyond recognition over the past 20 years...NO MORE PLEASE we have had enough!!! Lets retain this last piece of natural countryside and coastal way!!!!!

Tony Whyte
Lets ruin this country even more than it has been over the last decade, when will all this stop? No wonder so many Brits are emmigrating!

andy russell
i do not want more houses or schools built.leave warsash alone.

Joyce Wareham
Why are the residents of Warsash and other southern areas so concerned about gravel extraction? It has to come from areas where gravel is available, it is a temporary activity and the area will be restored or water filled after the extraction is complete. There is no suggestion that houses will be demolished or gardens dug up - they are just concerned about a little noise and disruption. Get real residents of Warsash and think a little about the rest of the world!

a.t.
There is a simple answer. The need for so much gravel is necessitated by the government's plans to build so many more houses in the south of England. We do not need more houses, we do not need more people, and we would not need so much gravel. Simple. Stop immigration. Stop wrecking England.

Tim Mitchell
One of the reasons advanced for the dreadful scheme proposed for Warsash/Chilling is that the gravel needed for the houses to be built there should be quarried locally. But the number of houses suggested is unacceptable and far more than is reasonable for the infrastructure.

Dan Styan
Let's go dig up the gardens of the people who proposed this and demolish there house for some rubble, this is what there basically doing to us!