22nd October at Calver village hall.
Quarrying at Longstone Edge was the
theme for the show which was attended
by over 150 people, so many that a
large number of people had to remain
outside.
stopping the quarrying. The show was
interspersed with clips from key
protagonists from both sides of the
argument.
local residents and other interested
parties such as the British
Mountaineering Council.
valuable contributions being made
around the key points. Residents
expressed their frustration after years
of campaigning of the feeling that the
Peak District National Park Authority
has been unable to stop the quarrying.
They voiced the need for the
Government to intervene in a
coordinated manner to address what
is now a national rather than local
issue. Comparisons were made with
remove a pebble can invoke a
considerable fine and everyone was
reminded of the mass trespass of
Kinder and the reasons behind the
National Parks being set up in the first
place.
Director of Bleaklow Industries who
have the mineral rights for Longstone
Edge, Mr Harpley suggested residents
view Longstone Edge as a "pristine
idyll" and that locals treat their
community as a "gated village" and
went on to state "it's also my
children's inheritance and I am not
going to have that taken off them".
in which he pointed out that the Peak
District National Park Authority is
constrained by legislation formulated
over fifty years ago when the mineral
rights would have been used by "two
men with shovels and a stick of
dynamite", not on the large scale of
extraction that is being undertaken
today. He echoed the need for the
government to intervene.
limestone than Fluorspar is being
moved from the Edge. He also
sympathised with residents who
complained that they had to adhere
to strict planning laws whilst quarry
companies seem to be able to flout
the law with impunity. He concluded
with the comment "that the Peak
National Park is visited by more people
in one year than ever visited the
Millennium Dome".
hour citing legal reasons, much to the
anger of the many residents in
attendance.
to the ongoing Save Longstone Edge
Campaign.
on Tuesday 24th October. The SLEG
committee will be in attendance along
with other residents.
website. www.longstone-edge.org.uk
or Tel: 01629 640926