Significant Changes of Ownership on Longstone Edge
30 October 2012
Recent developments have raised new issues about the future of Longstone Edge.
There have been two significant changes of ownership. First, Mr Robin Harpley and Bleaklow Industries have sold all their land and mineral rights on the Edge to Mr Peter Hunt, a locally based businessman. Mr Harpley was responsible for the destruction of Backdale and Wagers Flat, and all of our supporters will be happy to see the back of him.
We have met the new owner, and he has no plans to quarry minerals on Longstone Edge. We welcome this. He is considering the future of both Backdale and Wagers Flat and will involve SLEG when his plans are firmer. We will want to look carefully at any proposals for Backdale, and hope that he will restore Wagers Flat for agricultural use, removing the unsightly waste heaps currently spoiling the view of Longstone Edge from the south.
Secondly, Glebe Mines, the previous owner of mineral rights north of Bramley Lane and of Cavendish Mill where fluorspar was processed, has been bought by a large Italian fluorochemical company Fluorsid. They have set up a new company, British Fluorspar, to replace Glebe Mines.
British Fluorspar plans to reopen Cavendish Mill and resume fluorspar extraction in the Peak District. This includes working their existing planning permission on Longstone Edge for a further few months, but they have no plans for the Edge beyond this.
British Fluorspar plan to improve the processes used at Cavendish Mill so that less use is made of the settlement ponds near the Mill, the source of serious flooding a few years ago.
It is already clear that things are going to happen more slowly than the new owners initially told us. This always seems to be the case with Cavendish Mill. We will keep in touch with new owners and report developments as they become clearer.
Neither of these developments causes SLEG immediate concern. Indeed, the change of ownership south of Bramley Lane is likely to be helpful.
We will keep supporters informed about developments.
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