News
Some of the latest developments, and mentions of Longstone Edge in the media
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16 December 2011 - Fluorspar Quarrying to Resume on Longstone Edge When Glebe Mines shut down their quarrying operations on Longstone Edge last year, we hoped that this represented the end of fluorspar quarrying in the Peak District National Park. However, quarrying is about to resume. A company called Cavendish Minerals bought Glebe Mines on 5 September, and another company called Fluorspar UK has been set up to trade fluorspar. It is expected that fluorspar processing at Cavendish Mill will resume in the New Year. Fluorspar will be sourced from a number of places, including the existing Deep Rake quarry on Longstone Edge, Tearsall near Darley Dale and the underground Milldam Mine at Great Hucklow. We have made it clear to the new owners that we will oppose any new quarrying on Longstone Edge. We also made it clear that we expected the company to ensure that there can be no further flooding and pollution from the settling ponds at Cavendish Mill. We have expressed these concerns to the National Park Authority. We believe that any new fluorspar extraction on Longstone Edge should only be by underground mining in order to minimise environmental damage. For more details, read all of the newsletter |
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22 May 2011 - Newsletter and Public Meeting In a newsletter Save Longstone Edge Group Chairman John Lambert has said that although quarrying has now ceased on Longstone Edge, vigilance is still required. We now have legal clarity about the meaning of the 1952 Planning Permission that has been at the root of many of Longstone Edge’s problems. Court rulings mean that huge quantities of limestone cannot be quarried. The other recent development was the closure of Cavendish Mill late last year. Public Meeting - 16 June 2011 The Save Longstone Edge Group will hold a public meeting on Thursday 16 June at 7:30pm. The venue is Calver Village Hall. This will be an opportunity to learn about recent developments and future prospects for Longstone Edge. Read all of the newsletter |
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19 December 2010 - The Threat Recedes? The European Court of Human Rights has refused Bleaklow Industries leave to appeal against the British Courts’ decision that halted the most destructive quarrying on the Edge. The legal uncertainty on the meaning of the planning permission is now resolved for good. In a further development, Cavendish Mill is to shut. This is the plant near Longstone Edge that carries out the initial processing of fluorspar. There is now no UK outlet for any fluorspar quarried in the future from Longstone Edge. Taken together, these developments lessen the likelihood of new quarrying taking place on Longstone Edge, though risks remain as the 1952 planning permission still has 32 years to run. |
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3 April 2010 - Longstone Edge - The Threats Remain SLEG chairman John Lambert notes that though the quarrying by Bleaklow Industries has been stopped by the court, Bleaklow is seeking leave to take its case to the European Court of Human Rights. He warns of uncertainty surrounding the quarrying company active on Longstone Edge, Glebe Mines. At present there is nothing preventing Glebe from quarrying the large area above the village of Curbar, in the area known as Peak Pasture. And Glebe's parent company has sold its fluorspar business, but the purchaser has not bought the Glebe Mines division, so the future for this company, and the mineral rights that they own, is unclear. John Lambert invites everyone with an interest in preserving Longstone Edge to a public meeting in Calver Village Hall at 7.30pm on Tuesday, 13 April.Read more... and read the newsletter |
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29 August 2009 - Threat of New Quarry at Peak Pasture Just when we thought that the destruction by quarrying at Longstone Edge was coming to a close, a new threat has arrived - with a threat by Glebe Mines of open-cast fluorspar quarrying at the site known as "Peak Pasture". Peak Pasture is possibly the most sensitive part of Longstone Edge in respect of its scenic and botanical value. It is immediately above the village of Calver. The Peak District National Park Authority is meeting on 18 September to make decisions which will affect Peak Pasture. SLEG has made written submissions to the PDNPA and will attend the meeting to make verbal representations. Supporters are urged to attend the meeting themselves, or to give their views to SLEG. |
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28 July 2009 - New Dangers for Longstone Edge Activity has resumed at Backdale Quarry after a short break; and there are new threats to a large untouched part of Longstone Edge: Peak Pasture. Following a legal ruling quarry operators MMC Midlands removed their rock crushing machinery from Backdale Quarry. However, they have now returned and are moving crushed fluorspar stockpiles to Glebe Mines Limited. There are unconfirmed reports that blasting and quarrying operations will resume shortly. Further bad news is that the Peak District National Park Authority has insisted that Glebe Mines should produce a plan for the working of fluorspar veins on Peak Pasture - the 260 acres of land immediately above the village of Calver. |
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14 July 2009 - Quarrying Stopped on Longstone Edge! We may be close to success! Following the refusal of the House of Lords to consider an appeal by the quarry owners, work seems to have finally halted at Backdale Quarry. The Peak District National Park Authority has served an "Enforcement Notice" in relation to both Backdale Quarry and the Wager's Flat site. The quarry operators MMC Midlands have removed their rock crushing machinery, and the site is quiet at last. Read more... |
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26 June 2009 - The House of Lords Acts for Longstone Edge The House of Lords has refused to hear an appeal against the Peak District National Park Authority enforcement action at Backdale quarry. Thus the landowner, Bleaklow Industries, and quarry operator, MMC Midlands, have exhausted the legal avenues that they have exploited for so many years, enabling them to quarry limestone rather than fluorspar. However, this is far from the end of the matter. Quarrying is continuing, and the Peak Park have yet to take steps to stop it. They seem to be in no hurry - in a press release Chair of the Authority Narendra Bajaria said "We now want to talk directly to the companies involved to find out their intentions. Our expectation is that any future working will be in line with the interpretation of the planning permission given by the Court of Appeal." These hardly sound like the words of a man in a hurry. The legal situation is now crystal clear, and the Peak Park has no excuse if they continue to allow MMC Midlands to export limestone illegally. |
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2 June 2009 - MMC Moving Limestone from Wager's Flat to Backdale Quarry MMC Midlands, the operator of the quarries on Longstone Edge which are being operated in violation of the terms set by the Court of Appeal, has begun moving limestone stockpiles from Wager's Flat to Backdale Quarry. The Limestone is then being sold from Backdale. MMC appeared to be doing this behind the back of the planning authority, the Peak District National park Authority. Peak Park officer expressed surprise when told of this by Save Longstone Edge Group members. SLEG have provided the Peak Park with photographic evidence and more evidence, yet the Peak Park appears to be doing nothing about it. |
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23 April 2009 - Public Meeting Expresses Dismay at Ongoing Limestone Quarrying A public meeting attended by the Peak District National Park Authority and local MP Patrick McLoughlin has expressed the community's dismay that quarrying is continuing at Longstone Edge, despite a court ruling that should have curtailed it. The meeting, held at Calver Village Hall on 23 April, saw photographs of on-going limestone quarrying. |
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9 April 2009 - MMC Lose Case Agains the Revenue Further good news! MMC Midlands Ltd, the company who are doing the quarrying at Backdale Quarry, have lost an appeal against the Revenue and Customs. MMC had avoided paying Aggregates Levy (a tax on limestone), claiming that the limestone represented "spoil" from the process of quarrying fluorspar. This was an astounding claim, since the main commercial activity at the quarry was the removal of limestone, and since they were arguing the exact opposite at in their other legal case against the Peak District national Park Authority - that the limestone was not "waste" and so could be sold. |
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8 April 2009 - Peak Park Thank Community The Peak District National Park Authority has thanked the community (that's you!) for their support in the battle to save Longstone Edge. |
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6 April 2009 - Bleaklow and MMC Still Quarrying Despite the ruling of the Court of Apeal that went against Bleaklow and MMC, they are still working at the Backdale Quarry. |
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30 March 2009 - Public Meeting called for 23 April Following the Court of Appeal ruling in favour of Longstone Edge, what happens next? The companies could seek leave to appeal to the House of Lords, and they have until mid-April to do this. The House of Lords would then decide whether to grant leave to appeal or deny it. If leave to appeal were granted the case would be unlikely to be heard for at least another year. We want the National Park Authority to revoke the 1952 Planning Permission that has led to the destruction at Longstone Edge so that the Edge’s future as part of the National Park can be safeguarded for all time. While we are delighted with the decision of the Court of Appeal, the saga of Longstone Edge has not yet reached a conclusion. So please come to our public meeting in Calver Village Hall at 7.30pm on Thursday, 23 April, when we hope to have further information on what will happen next. |
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18 March 2009 - Court of Appeal Saves Longstone Edge? In the latest stage of a long-running legal battle over Backdale Quarry on Longstone Edge, the Court of Appeal today ruled in favour of the Peak District National Park Authority and the Government. The Court upheld their appeal against a controversial High Court decision by Justice Sullivan last year which had allowed unrestrained limestone quarrying. Save Longstone Edge Group Chairman John Lambert said, "We hope this is the beginning of the end for limestone quarrying on Longstone Edge, and that we can soon start to think about how to restore this potentially wonderful area in the middle of Britain's most visited National Park." |
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16 March 2009 - Court of Appeal Decision Expected Wednesday 18 March From an email from the Peak District Park Authority: This is just to let you know that we expect to hear the judgment of the Court of Appeal on the Backdale case on Wednesday (March 18th). We hope to let you know the outcome that day. To remind you of the background: the Peak District National Park Authority and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government were appealing against Justice Sullivan’s High Court decision (March 2008) which overturned the outcome of a public inquiry in 2007. The Planning Inspector at the public inquiry had upheld the Authority’s enforcement action on the Backdale site. |
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24 February 2009 - More Press Coverage There has been more coverage in the press: "Opponents dig in for one more legal battle in marathon war of the quarry" from the Yorkshire Post on 10 February 2009 "Quarrying decision to be made" from the Matlock Mercury on 12 February 2009 |
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9 February 2009 - A hole in the hillside The Guardian newspaper has run a story on Longstone Edge entitled A hole in the hillside It begins: "The British government seems happy to save works of art; shouldn't it care about beautiful countryside just as much?" "Imagine some prankster cut a hole in the £50m Titian the nation recently bought off the Duke of Sutherland. Goodness, art lovers would be narked. Even those who don't know their Dianas from their Achtaeons would be dismayed that a national asset had been vandalised." "Stunning landscapes aren't quite the same as works of art, but they are treasures nonetheless, exploited by tourist boards luring us into the countryside. And like great works of art, they offer something worth far more than their economic value – spiritual refreshment, a bit of peace and quiet in an increasingly noisy and stressful world. That's good for business and good for our wellbeing too." Read the full story... |
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5 February 2009 - Crunch Time for Longstone Edge The Longstone Edge Coalition, a national group of campaigning organisations, is calling on the Government to be ready to intervene if a Court of Appeal ruling due next week does not favour an immediate halt to the permanent damage on Longstone Edge. The fate of one of the most beautiful landscapes in the Peak District National Park – rapidly becoming scarred due to uncontrolled quarrying – is to be decided in a case to be heard in the Court of Appeal on Tuesday 10 February 2009. Campaigners hope the Court of Appeal will rule in favour of a stricter interpretation of the old mineral permission, taking into account the sensitive location in a national park. The Court of Appeal’s involvement underscores the national importance of this test case. |
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1 February 2009 - Teasall Quarry go-ahead and its Implications for Longstone Edge Members of the Peak District National Park Authority have decided by 10 votes to eight to allow Glebe Mines to work Tearsall opencast fluorspar quarry, on Bonsall Moor, near Matlock, "due to exceptional circumstances secured by a legal agreement". Glebe Mines, which already quarries fluorspar on Longstone Edge, made a number of concessions to win the permission - one of which was to waive its rights to quarry minerals at another environmentally sensitive site on Longstone Edge called Peak Pasture - but only for four years while extraction takes place at Tearsall Quarry. Peak Pasture is immediately above the village of Calver. It is not the first time that Glebe has used the Peak Pasture 1952 minerals licence as a bargining chip in exchange for other concessions. Read the full story... |
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6 November 2008 - The future of Longstone Edge will be decided in the Court of Appeal in February In July, The Court of Appeal gave the Government and National Park Authority leave to appeal against the March High Court decision. They also decided that this appeal should be expedited. We have recently heard that the Court of Appeal will hear the case on 11 and 12 February next year. While we wait for the Court of Appeal, we have to accept, with great reluctance, that nothing can legally be done to stop the continuing destruction at Backdale. This news, and more, in our newsletter... |
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18 September 2008 - The Country is Angry, Save Longstone Edge Group tells Hilary Benn The Save Longstone Edge Group has told Government Minister Hilary Benn that visitors, residents and members of their national organisations are angry that nothing is being done to stop accelerating quarrying on Longstone Edge, and demanded a meeting with him. More... |
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14 August 2008 - Save Longstone Edge Group Call for Negotiations Noting that Peak District National Park and the Government will be allowed to appeal against the decision made by the High Court, SLEG chairman John Lambert said "We are now calling on the land owner Mr Harpley and the National Park Authority to meet as a matter of urgency to agree that there should be no more destruction on Longstone Edge while they negotiate a long term agreement." More... |
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28 July 2008 - Backdale Quarry case goes to Court of Appeal The Peak District National Park Authority has been granted permission to appeal against a High Court decision over harmful quarrying at Backdale Quarry. Judges in London decided today (Mon July 28) that both the national park authority and the Department for Communities and Local Government had a case that should be heard by the Court of Appeal. More... |
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4 July 2008 - Derbyshire Wildlife Trust joins Longstone Edge Coalition The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has joined the Longstone Edge Coalition - an alliance of major environmental and conservation agencies determined to halt destructive quarrying on Longstone Edge. Ed Green,Chief Executive of the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, said "The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust would like to accept this invitation and lend our support to your campaign on the basis that further quarrying at the site would have a severely negative impact on the ecology of the Coombs Dale Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the mosaic of natural habitats in the area which act as a buffer for the SSSI." The block of land known as Peak Pasture extends into the Coombs Dale SSSI. Although it is not being quarried at present, Peak Pasture is subject to the same 1952 minerals licence as the sites that are being quarried (Backdale and Wager's flat) and so must be considered at risk. |
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27 June 2008 - Coalition warns Government to act now On the fifth anniversary of Bleaklow Industries and MMC resuming the mining of Longstone Edge, the Longstone Edge Coalition has written to the Government urging Defra to provide immediate financial support to the Peak District National Park Authority to halt continued devastation caused by the quarrying. More... |
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11 June 2008 - Court of Appeal to Consider Backdale The Peak District National Park Authority have announced that the Court of Appeal is to hold a short hearing on Monday 28 July about Backdale. More... |
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3 May 2008 - Hint of Buyout on Quarry The Government has given its strongest hint yet that it is considering spending millions of pounds to end quarrying on Longstone Edge. More... |
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22 April 2008 - Longstone Edge Coalition Formed A coalition of conservations groups has been formed to press for the end of quarrying on Longstone Edge. More... |
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18 April 2008 - National Park Authority seeks appeal on High Court judgment The Peak District National Park Authority is to challenge a High Court ruling over its enforcement action to control the extent of limestone quarrying at Backdale on Longstone Edge. More... |
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2 April 2008 - High Court written judgement on Backdale A High Court Judge has ruled in favour of landowner Bleaklow Industries Ltd in the in-going legal fight to stop quarrying on Longstone Edge. More... |
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6 March 2008 - Minister to hear latest on quarrying issues at Longstone Edge DEFRA minister Jonathan Shaw is to meet with senior officials from the Peak District National Park Authority to discuss the latest developments about quarrying on Longstone Edge. More... |